


Demon's Daydream

by Jastra



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Bill takes care of Dipper, Bill trapped in human form, Dark, Dark Bill Cipher, Dipper is 15, Drama, Evil Bill Cipher, Gen, Human Bill Cipher, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Manipulative Bill Cipher, Minor Character Death, Murderous Bill, Possessive Behavior, Post-Weirdmageddon, Violence, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8764960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jastra/pseuds/Jastra
Summary: Bill couldn't help but laugh in utter disbelief and shock as he sat on the forest floor next to his broken statue. He watched Dipper's receding back as the boy ran back towards the town, leaving him all alone in the woods.The blond human grinned.“I may have lost my abilities and powers,” Bill whispered as he stood up, “but I assure you Pine Tree, that I will become a demon to you and take you away.”





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> *Sigh* I told myself not to write new stories when I can't get the old ones finished, but I've been playing with this idea so long! I had to write it, even if it is just 2 chapter story with dark, murderous and possessive human Bill.  
> EDIT: 24.10.2017. There was a major plot hole here! I had to fix it.

 

“No, this is impossible,” Dipper found himself muttering as he stared at the blond man before his eyes and the teen was seriously considering pinching himself just to make sure he was not dreaming.

It was his and Mabel's last day in Gravity Falls, and after everything that had happened to them during these beautiful hot summer days, the young teen absolutely had to take one last walk through the woods so that he'd always remember these exciting days.

Weirdmageddon was over and Bill had been defeated, but at a great price...their Grunkle's mind had been lost to the oblivion momentarily, but thanks to Waddles, Stanley had managed to recover all his memories. With everything turning back to the way they were before Weirdmageddon, it truly felt like they had saved and changed the world. This was summer that had prepared him and Mabel for the upcoming teen life and for the responsibilities it brought. It was going to be hard growing up but they'd welcome the changes and face them together, even if they couldn't share their lives forever.

Mabel had stayed behind to spend the last moments of the summer with her friends, and Dipper didn't really mind. It was nice to walk through the woods on his own one last time and go through all the events of the summer in his head. It was hard to believe how all this had started with somewhat innocent encounter with gnomes and ended with Weirdmageddon and fighting Bill who had almost killed them all.

The rays of the warm evening sun made the forest look dreamy, almost magical. The large triangle shaped statue basked in the warm light and would have looked beautiful and serene if the young Pines boy didn't know any better. With the forest becoming eerily quiet, Dipper just knew this couldn't be good.

“Oh gosh I must be dreaming,” Dipper said and started to feel slightly faint as he stared at the triangle shaped statue and the tall young man standing beside it. “Yup, definitely a dream, there is no way this is real,” Dipper kept telling himself, yet, he knew this to be real.

 

However, the pure expression of disbelief and shock indicated that the tall man with black and golden blond hair was also thinking or maybe wishing that this was all a dream.

 

The moment Dipper had stumbled upon the statue of Bill with a tall and slim blond man standing beside it, he had just known it to be the demon reincarnated into a human form. Everything about the man screamed “Bill”. The way he looked, acted and the whole general feeling Dipper got from him. It just had to be him. But how could that be!? Ford's plan had worked perfectly and Bill had been defeated successfully. So how could a human who was no doubt a Bill Cipher be standing in the middle of a forest next to his own statue?!

 

The human Bill was wearing an elegant black outfit with a golden tail coat over it, making him look really out of place in the dense forest...but then again this was Gravity Falls and he could easily be a demon of the woods. But despite his appearance and demeanor, Dipper had a feeling that Bill was now just a normal human who no longer possessed any of his powers or abilities. So he had to be completely _**harmless**_. By the looks of it, the blond had to be around 20-25 years.

 

“Cipher?” Dipper asked in unsure manner from the young handsome man whose golden eyes were wide with surprise and fixated on Dipper's. The demon's clothes were untouched by dirt so Dipper deduced that the demon had probably taken form only a while ago.

“It really is you, isn't it...” the young teen asked breathlessly, feeling somehow nauseous.

A small, forced and twitching smile formed on Bill's face and Dipper could see that the demon was on a verge of panic, even if he didn't show it,

“But..but you are a human! This doesn't make any sense,” the Pines boy tried to figure out how on earth Bill could have been revived like this.

 _Bill is clearly a human now, but does that make him harmless? Should I go tell Ford?_ Dipper wondered as he kept his distance from Bill who was unpredictable at best. He was ready to run the moment the demon did something threatening.

The man with black and golden blond hair looked confused and furious, as if he couldn't...no, refused to fully accept the situation he was in. Like this had not been the result he had wished for.

“Pine Tree,” Bill almost purred out loud before letting out a drawn out sigh with mad look in his golden eyes, only to glance at the statue of his original form that lied beside him. “Of all the people in the world, you are the first one to greet me,” the demon said with a forced grin, his whole body tense.

 

“D...Did you get revived when Grunkle Stan recovered his memories,” Dipper demanded and felt vulnerable in the demon's presence, yet much to his surprise, Bill looked just as distressed, as if he couldn't believe what was happening to him.

“Sure looks like it,” Bill stated quietly, his narrow golden eyes flashing dangerously at Dipper who started to look curious, amused, gloating even. “But this,” the demon continued, addressing his humanoid form, “is all wrong...”

The blond male hissed and raised his black gloved hands, eyeing them with distaste. “No! I refuse to be revived in a form like this! I can't be stuck in a body of a filthy mortal without my powers!” Cipher growled, clearly trying to summon his powers and break free from the humanoid form but absolutely nothing happened.

“You...you really are a human now? You have no powers whatsoever?” The Pines boy inquired, unable not to smile when he noticed how Cipher was gritting his teeth, his eyes shifting from Dipper to his statue and back to the boy as he tried to figure out what he should do. Bill had gone pale, a thin layer of cold sweat on his brow as he tried to figure a way out of this, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a single functional solution.

“No...this is impossible, I cannot be trapped like this! I refuse!” the blond man hissed in denial, his unnaturally golden eyes blazing with rage, betrayal and hate. How could the universe treat him like this?

Dipper couldn't help but find certain poetic justice in this and grinned at Bill. The demon had turned into a normal human. He wouldn't be able to spread his madness or cause Weirdmageddon again.

“Hey Bill, didn't you say you wanted to be in this world? Well now you can!” Dipper almost snickered at the demon. “Seems like a fitting punishment for you. You've got to learn to play by our rules.”

The blond's shocked expression told Dipper how horrible and unbearable the idea was to the all powerful nightmare demon who was now nothing more than a young adult.

“You...” Bill said quietly, his golden eyes boring into Dipper's.

He took few steps towards Dipper who stood his ground, looking somewhat confused. Bill's lips curled into a desperate and nasty grin as he started to advance towards Dipper with a mad look in his eyes.

 

“Hey Pine Tree, you...you'll help me right? You aren't going to leave me here in the woods all alone...that'd be very rude of you,” the demon whispered, his hands trembling slightly and Dipper couldn't tell whether it was from fear or anger. “Why don't we make a small deal? You'll help me back into my original form and realm, and I'll make you rich, give you power...anything your heart desires,” the human turned demon offered as he came closer to Dipper. Only now that the demon was approaching him did Dipper realize how tall Bill was compared to him and the look in the blond's eyes didn't promise anything good.

Dipper's every instinct told him to run, but for some reason he just couldn't. It felt like Bill's golden eyes nailed him down on the spot, making it impossible for him to take a single step.

“That's right, Pine Tree...I just...I just need you to help me, come here...” Bill whispered with his hand raised while approaching the boy who had done this to him.

Seeing Bill get closer with that hollow look in his golden eyes made Dipper finally move,

“I...I think I should go now, Bill,” the teen said nervously and started to back away from the blond young man who reached towards him with his gloved hand,

“Relax Pine Tree...I just want your help, nothing more,” Bill said quietly, the small smile on his lips turning into a twitching grin that showed his white teeth. “I won't hurt you as long as you help me.”  
“St...stay away away from me,” the teen said but just when he was about turn around and run, Bill grabbed his forearm into a vice like grip, his gloved fingers squeezing the boy's arm painfully hard. They'd leave a mark.

 

“Gotcha~” the blond man laughed victoriously as he yanked Dipper towards him, making the boy lose his balance and stumble, falling against the demon who just absolutely loved seeing the boy in distress and scared.

“Let go of me Cipher!!” Dipper yelled and struggled like a wild animal when the young blond man took hold of his shoulder, leaning closer with an insane and hungry look in his piercing golden eyes.

“This is all your fault, you know that, Pine Tree? You and your whole family are accountable,” Bill whispered dangerously, his voice barely more than a whisper. The young Pines boy tried to desperately pull himself free from the young adult's hold, but even though Bill was no longer a demon, he was a full grown adult and had more strength. He moved his hand from Dipper's shoulder to grasp the teen's neck roughly when the boy refused to stop moving.

“You tried to destroy the world Bill!” Dipper yelled as he kept trying to get out of Bill's hold, but Cipher merely tightened his grip on his arm and neck to keep the boy under his control.

“Shh shh, calm down Pine Tree, I won't hurt you...I just need you to be my good little friend and help me out, ok?” Bill whispered, his tone a mixture of anger, hate...but also desperation. He took hold of Dipper's face, forcing the teen to look into his eyes.

Bill actually was worried about how he'd survive in this world.

 

“I said let go of me Bill, don't touch me!” Dipper yelled as he struggled against the thin and lanky young man whose grin was truly insane, his gloved fingers caressing his cheek, jaw and neck in intimidating and somehow possessive manner,

“Listen here, Pine Tree, I can't just let you go tell Sixer or your sister about me....what, what should I do with you?” Bill wondered and Dipper started to really get scared when Bill leaned closer, nuzzling the side of his face gently.

“I think we both know what will happen if Sixer learns about this,” Bill whispered against Dipper's ear and the boy could feel his heart start to beat faster. “I just cannot let that happen Pine Tree.”

Dipper swallowed. He could feel Bill grinning, his lips tracing along his ear and temple. “If you let go of me now, I promise I won't tell Great uncle Ford about you,” the teen tried, feeling less and less secure each passing second.

Bill cackled quietly as he pulled back slightly.

 

“You know Pine Tree, I could _**really**_ use a friend and an ally in this world...I have no place here in this form,” Bill murmured as he pulled back, looking as if he wasn't sure whether he should kill or keep the boy in his hold.

 

“My defeat...it was all your fault,” Bill hissed, his face inching closer to Dipper's. “I really want to make you pay for all of it Pine Tree,” the demon said with a hungry look in his golden eyes, applying pressured slightly around Dipper's neck to block his air supply. “Just think about it, on your last day in Gravity Falls, you get spirited away by the demon..or your body is found here next to my statue,” Bill laughed, loving both possibilities.

Dipper gasped for air as the taller male's grip around his throat tightened even further. “Does it hurt?” Bill inquired curiously and gazed into the teen's eyes, loving every detail of the horrified expression that appeared on Dipper's face when he realized that the demon could very well kill him right here and now. He had stumbled upon the statue by accident and there were no guarantees anyone would ever find his body if Bill killed him here.

“But, I guess killing you would be such a waste,” the demon mused but didn't loosen his grip around Dipper's neck one bit.

The teen stared daggers at the human who could just as well be a demon.

“So what I have in mind is that you'd stay with me and help me out here like a good friend would. You wouldn't leave me here all alone would you Pine Tree? That would be very cruel of you...” Bill chuckled, the look in his golden eyes truly insane and malicious. “You'll help me and stay with me, and I'll let you keep your life,” the demon laughed before pressing his forehead against Dipper's who was running out of oxygen. “Sounds like a fair deal to me.”

Dipper tried to get Bill's hand off his throat with his free one but it was all useless. The demon merely cackled at him,

“Cute...why don't you just say to me, “yes, Bill,” and then we'll have a deal. Two words and you'll get to keep your miserable little life, Pine Tree. I promise to be good to you,” the blond snickered.

 

With his last strength Dipper kicked Bill into knee as hard as he could. The demon, who had not been used to pain human body felt, was taken off guard and let go of Dipper's neck momentarily, giving the boy enough time to shove the tall young adult away from him and towards the statue of his original form.

To the Pines boy's satisfaction, Bill hit his own statue painfully hard, breaking its hand into multiple pieces, before falling onto the forest floor grunting and gritting his teeth in pain.

 

Dipper fell onto his knees, coughing violently and gasping for air, yet he didn't dare to take too much time to recover with Bill still there.

 _I have to get out of here and fast!_ Dipper thought as he scrambled up onto his feet that barely carried his weight. Thankfully enough, Bill had hit the statue hard and was holding his side.

“Go to hell Cipher! And stay away from me and my family,” Dipper snapped before dashing away, climbing on top of a large fallen tree trunk some distance away from Bill. Just when he got on top of that hollow fallen tree, he heard Bill cackling at him in an insane manner.

“Oh, you are just hilarious, Pine Tree,” Dipper heard Bill laugh. He stopped and turned around slowly to see the blond man standing by the statue of his original form. On his face was truly a sadistic and malicious grin, and those golden eyes were fixated on Dipper.

Clearly, Cipher held nothing but dark intentions towards him.

“Don't you dare leave me here, Pine Tree....you can't do this to me,” Bill hissed, sounding almost desperate. “I swear, if you take one more step, I will find you and tear you, and your family into pieces!”

Dipper eyed Bill coldly. He wasn't sure if the demon was actually desperate or not, but it was clear the human turned demon was irredeemable. Dipper knew he should tell Ford about this but...maybe Bill could use a second chance. He was clearly in shock over his new form and the fact that he was trapped in a human body. Maybe he just had to get over it.

 

“Well you wanted to enter this realm and now you are here. Have fun!” Dipper snapped. “Maybe you can start a part time job in Mystery Shack.”

Dipper couldn't help but enjoy the shocked expression the blond man had on his face. “Goodbye Bill, don't come close to me or my sister ever again, if you do, I'll tell Ford you are still here...there is nothing you can do anymore to hurt anyone,” Dipper finished before running back towards the village in silence. Those were his last words to Bill.

* * *

 

Bill just sat there on the mossy forest floor next to the statue of him that was now broken, the look of utter disbelief and shock evident in his golden eyes. The statue that had been his real, physical form lied in ruin because of Pine Tree. It felt like a final strike across his face.

“This can't be happening to me,” Bill thought out loud, refusing to believe that this was his reality now. It was restricted and followed rules.

Bill could feel his whole body tremble and shake in anger as he watched Dipper's receding form that eventually disappeared into the dense woods.

 _That child..._ the demon thought as he grit his teeth in rage, _Pine Tree dares to do this to me. This is all their...no...his fault. If that kid did not exist I would be the god of this realm._

 

For a moment, the blond human just stared at his statue, ignoring the world around him.

Hours passed and the sun started to set over the land, the warm light turning orange. As the light diminished and shadows grew long, Bill finally stirred from his state and looked around, only to find himself still alone with only his lifeless statue to keep him company.

Bill's eyes widened slightly as he watched the creeping shadows lick over his statue, slowly consuming it until the last rays of light died and both he, and the statue were devoured by the darkness.

The blond young man stayed quiet and still, just listening to everything around him. He couldn't get the image of himself and his statue being taken into the darkness at the same time.

Slowly, a small smile formed on the blond's lips that widened until he started laughing softly in disbelief, shock and realization.

He realized it now, he was still a demon. He could become one.

“Does Pine Tree really think I'm no longer any sort of a threat?” Bill laughed in insane manner, with a murderous look in his golden eyes. “That kid...he has crossed me for the last time...I might be a human but I can still destroy his life,” Bill hissed as he stood up with staggering movement, moving to rest against his statue.

“I may be trapped in this form without my powers, but I assure you Pine Tree, that I will become a demon to you,” Bill murmured quietly as he rest his head against the smooth surface of the stone statue. A malicious grin played on his face as he thought of the boy and all the horrible things he'd do.

“I'm going to make your whole family pay for this, Pine Tree," Bill hissed, wanting to remove the whole family line of Pines from existence. "I'll spirit you away like a real demon. And I will never leave you like you left me.”

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, my hand slipped here, I didn't mean to write something this dark, honest.

 

 

**2 years later**

Dipper tapped the pages of his math book with his pen, trying to come up with a perfect solution for the problem presented to him. The book lied open on top of a pillow and the teen himself was resting on his stomach on the bed, hidden beneath the covers. To Dipper, there was nothing more comfortable than reading books and solving problems in the comfort of his own bed, especially during days like this.

The young Pines boy was wearing blue and black headphones, but the volume was so loud that anyone in the room could clearly hear the lyrics to the newest hit song by BABBA.

It was a dark, late Fall night and a thunderstorm had tormented the city for the whole day. The sound of heavy rain bombarding the roof and windows would have been calming and relaxing, if it wasn't for the thunder and lightning that struck every now and then; not to mention the wind that rammed against the windows and trees. Dipper sighed as he sat on on the bed and took off his headphones to listen to the thunder and rain for a moment, only to check the play list on his phone to play something that would fit the mood a bit better.

To be completely honest, Dipper had hard time focusing on anything. The whole house felt so quiet and empty without his twin sister who had been gone for few days now.

Mabel had traveled overseas as part of a school program to visit friendship schools in Europe. He was happy for Mabel, knowing that his sister was enjoying the school trip immensely and would make tons of new pen-pals, some that hopefully would fill the void her old friends had left behind.

To be completely honest, Mabel had been feeling very down lately. They had not noticed it at first with his sister having tons of pen palls all over the country and the world, but Candy and Grenda no longer took any contact to her. The letters ceased to come and the two girls no longer answered Mabel's calls. Of course it was natural that not all summer friendships lasted, but the three of them had become so close.

Dipper would have pitied Mabel if Wendy had not done the same to him. At first they had written to each other each week and even called and talked, but as the school started and other things started to take priority, the letters became scarcer and scarcer until they had stopped coming all together.

 _Don't think about it too much Dipper, I'm sure Wendy is just busy with her school life_ , Dipper reasoned a bit sadly but he didn't let the feeling overwhelm him.

  
  


However, even if their friends no longer had time to contact them, at least the two of them could share the wonderful summer memories they had had in that lovely town. He and Mabel both knew that they only had so much time together and they were going to enjoy every moment of it.

Dipper couldn't help but chuckle as he glanced at a picture on the wall where he and Mabel were together on their 15th birthday.

Their parents had decided to give them their own rooms shortly after they had turned 14 due to the changes in their bodies and psyche. Both him and Mabel had been happy, even if the change had felt big to them at that time. But, it wasn't like they still couldn't fight and yell at each other through the walls.

Knowing that they'd go separate ways in terms of school and career within few years felt painful, but after what they had experienced in Gravity Falls, it didn't feel like the end of the world. Things were going to change, yes, but they were going to face those changes together.

 _At times I really miss Gravity Falls and all the magical things there,_ Dipper sighed as he opened a drawer next to his bed to see all the letters and photos Stanford and Stanley had sent to them from their travels. He knew, that without his Grunkles, Gravity Falls wasn't really the same place it had been that summer.

When they had told their parents all about the wacky adventures they had experienced with their uncles, they had merely laughed and complimented the stories. Clearly, the twins' parents thought them to have spiced up normal events with magical elements to make it more interesting and compelling to listen.

 _Well, it doesn't really matter if our parents don't believe any of it,_ Dipper thought with a smile as he picked up a handful of photos and started to flip them through, _it is enough that I, Mabel, Stanley and Stanford know the truth and what really went on there._

 _Speaking of which,_ Dipper pondered as he turned his attention back on his math book,  _I wonder how Bill is doing._

Leaving him into the forest was kinda harsh, but what should he have done at that moment? Cipher would surely have strangled him to death if he had given him a wrong answer. Leaving the blond young man into the woods had probably been the right choice. Still, the encounter with the human turned demon felt like a dream and at times, Dipper wondered if he had indeed dreamed it all, only to recall how real that man's hold on his throat had been.

If he was completely honest with himself, Dipper did find it worrying that he had heard absolutely nothing of Bill after that day. At times, he had thought about calling Ford and telling him about the demon who had threatened to tear him into shreds. But now that 2 years had passed by with no sign of the blond man, Dipper had  _almost_  completely forgotten about him. All the young Pines boy cared about now was his school, family and friends. They were mundane, boring things, but also comforting and stable elements in his life. There was no room for Bill in his mind.

 _Maybe I should have told Ford so that he could have kept an eye on him_ , Dipper pondered as he erased a mistake in his math problem and fixed it, “but, if I had t old him, Ford might have done something horrible...Bill deserves a second chance and besides, what could he do as a human?” the teen muttered out loud.

Dipper yawned loudly and glanced at the clock on the night table. It was nearing 11pm already. The teen heard someone call his name and he took the headphones off to listen,

“Dipper? Are you still awake?” his mother's scolding voice called from downstairs. “Don't tell me you are still up! You might be smart, but even your brains need to rest, young man “

The Pines boy rolled his eyes,

“Just 10 more minutes, mom, I want to finish few extra exercises to grasp this thing properly,” Dipper replied and put the headphones back on, listening to the music that blocked all the noises.

“Ok honey, just remember that you have an early morning,” he heard his mother add and Dipper couldn't help but smile as he took a more comfortable position on the bed before turning a page on his math book.

 

* * *

 

Bill had hard time trying to keep his grin in check as he stood in front of the Pines family’s home, his golden eyes fixated on the window on the second floor. He couldn’t see the boy, but just knowing him to be there made the demon’s body tense with excitement. Gods, he loved the pure rush adrenaline brought him. It was such a shame that Shooting Star was not here tonight to make his revenge sweeter, but then again, this way she was going to suffer too.

The demon just stood there in the hard rain with a murderous look in those beautiful golden eyes of his. His elegant black outfit along with the golden tailcoat was soaked, cold and heavy, but Bill failed to notice any of these facts as he just watched and enjoying the moment.

 _2 years_ , the thin blond human mused as he tried to relax and prepare himself.  _I’ve waited 2 whole years for this moment…but now I’m finally here,_ Bill thought, his golden eyes shining slightly in the darkness. The demon’s grin widened when he took few steps towards the house,  _Pine Tree…I’ve got everything ready for you._   _We will have such a blast together._

The first few weeks of his human life had been pure hell to Bill. He had lacked money, resources and contacts, but he had quickly found out that he still possessed something from his demonic origin, knowledge. The demon still carried all the information he had accumulated over the thousands, nay, million years. He knew everything there was to know about Gravity Falls and what desires and secrets the townsfolk carried in their hearts. And the best thing was, he knew exactly how to exploit that knowledge.

But most importantly, he still possessed his silver tongue and the ability to charm anyone. With his knowledge and charisma, Bill had established himself in Gravity Falls without anyone realizing that he was in fact the demon who had terrorized them all. Two long years of using people, making them disappear as he had slowly taken control of that damn town…and now, he was finally here.

He was so close to having his revenge that the blond barely had any control over himself.

“Pine Tree,” Bill whispered possessively. “Sixer nor your Grunkle Stanley can’t save you now,” the demon mused before shifting his golden eyes to the door that led into the house. With a wide grin, Bill started to make his way forward in the hard rain.

The elegantly dressed young man barely felt the biting wind or the harsh rain that battered his body when he rang the doorbell. He could hear the bell chime inside the house, and now all he had to do was to wait for someone to invite him in. The demon had to fight the wicked grin that tried to form on his face, masking it as a friendly and apologetic smile when a man opened the door for him.

“Yes?” the person who resembled Pine Tree asked.

Bill gave the man an apologetic and distressed look,

"I’m terribly sorry to bother you at this hour, but I was on my way back from party downtown and my car just died on the road,” the golden haired young man who could have passed for an artist with his elegant look explained.

Cipher pulled out his cellphone from his pocket,

“I know this is a lot to ask but, is there any chance I could borrow a cellphone so that I could call a taxi? This rain and cold wind has killed the battery on mine. I've been meaning to get the new model, but throwing an otherwise working electronic device away feels just such a waste in today's world,” the demon said and looked sincere, stepping aside to show the expensive looking car parked by the side of the street.

“ A party?” Dipper's father asked somewhat suspiciously and Bill smiled disarmingly. “Well a gallery showing to be more precise, the one where the artist took inspiration from the secrets of the universe and infinite realities,” the young man explained.

“Oh that one, I read about it in the newspaper. My daughter was interested in it but alas couldn't go, “ the man said ponderously. Clearly this artistic looking thin young man with expensive (albeit strangely designed) clothes was just having a really bad day and was no threat to his family. “Come in, no need to stand in the rain.”

“Heh...why, thank you, this is most generous of you,” the demon laughed softly. “But I don't think my clothes can be saved anymore,” he added with a disarming smile, stepping inside when the man let him pass.

The demon with golden eyes stepped inside the house, eyeing the decorations with distaste. All the photos of Dipper and Mabel made him sick and he wanted to burn the whole place down.

“Please, sit down, I'll tell my wife to brew some tea, it will be some time before a tow-truck or a taxi can get here,” Dipper father said, not noticing the murderous look in the blonde's eyes.

 

* * *

 

 _I know I promised mom that I’d hit the hay, but I have to make sure my notes are good,_  Dipper thought as he copied some key dates and names from his history book, only to yawn loudly. He had closed the door to his room and turned up the music’s volume, yet, he had been sure he had heard the doorbell ring just moments ago. It could have been some kids pranking or the neighbor coming to borrow something so he didn't pay much attention to it.

“Dipper!”

He was sure he heard his mother yelling at him again,

“Yeah yeah, I'm going to bed,” the brunette boy with the constellation birth mark muttered as he bit the end of the pencil, trying to figure out if he should add something to his notes.

“Dipper!” he heard again, and this time his mother's voice sounded panicked, making Dipper wonder if she needed help with something.

The boy lifted his gaze from the book and took off his headphones to listen closely. The thunder boomed out side and the wind struck against the window, making the whole room feel eerie, ominous even.

“What is it mom?” Dipper asked as he got up into a sitting position on his bed, waiting for an answer.

Dipper’s eyes widened in terror and his heart skipped few beats when he heard his mother’s panicked, desperate and fear filled voice coming from downstairs, begging him to run and escape.

 _What the hell is going on?!_  Dipper thought as he jumped from his bed, his heartbeat elevated. The Pines boy was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with flannel shirt over it. Dipper’s mind was racing and he found himself approaching the stairs carefully, only to descend them down slowly, and as quietly as possible. But…midway down he saw something that paralyzed him and made his head spin. The teen almost lost all strength in his legs and fought the urge to throw up.

 

On the floor of the living room lied his father, his head smashed against the corner of a nearby table, its stone surface broken and chipped with blood traces on it.

“D....dad!” Dipper cried out even though he probably shouldn't' have. The young Pines boy rushed down the rest of the stairs, almost tripping when he reached the last step.

“No, no, no!” the teen whispered in pure terror as he ran over to his father to help him, but no matter what he did, his father refused to stir. His eyes were void of any life.

 _This is just impossible…things like this can’t happen to my family,_ Dipper thought desperately, wishing that this was all just a bad nightmare.

The teen froze when he heard noises from the kitchen, and despite every survival instinct the he had, the boy slowly stood up and headed towards the room, knowing that that's where his mother would be.

Dipper placed a hand over his mouth to keep the fear filled whimpers down as he approached the doorless entrance to the kitchen. Maybe.... maybe his mother was ok and this had to be just some bad, bad dream he’d soon wake up from. Dipper knew, that if he had any sense left in him, he would run…but yet he kept approaching the dark room, as if possessed.

Fear, sorrow and pure denial overwhelmed the teen when he saw the horrendous scene before him. On the floor lied his mother's lifeless body with stab wounds in her chest; too many to count.

“No...no no no!” Dipper repeated as he moved to his mother's side, his legs barely carrying him. No matter how hard he tried to search his brain for some way to help his mother, there was absolutely nothing to do about  _this_.

“Mom no...You and dad can't leave me and Mabel,” Dipper tried desperately, his hands shaking as he reached out to take hold of his mother’s hand that was still so warm. Only hours ago those hands had made him dinner. The first thing Dipper could think of was how he’d never feel his mother’s warm embrace, or hear his dad say his name. It was painful, so very painful that words couldn’t describe it.

When lightning struck and illuminated the kitchen for few seconds, Dipper saw a silhouette of someone staring at him to his left. The person cast a threatening shadow over him and his mother’s body. The brunette teen was paralyzed by fear, his body absolutely refusing to move. Slowly he glanced at his left and the boy could be sure, that he saw a hint of gold in the darkness.

Dipper’s eyes followed the dark figure who stepped into light that poured in from the well lit living room.

“Not you…anyone but you,” the teen whispered in defeated tone.

“Heh, long time no see, eh, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, clearly on the verge of bursting into laughter as he stood few steps away from the boy and his mother's dead body. “You've grown.” The demon stated casually as he eyed Dipper up and down, only to leer at him. “And turned out pretty handsome and cute too.”

Dipper's eyesight almost faltered when he saw how Bill’s yellow tailcoat had blood splatters all over it. In his black-gloved hand, the demon held a long kitchen knife he had taken from a holder on a nearby table.

“Bill,” Dipper whispered, feeling like he was going to faint any moment. The young man with blond and black hair grinned at his prey so widely that his golden eyes narrowed and teeth showed. He was going to enjoy every moment of this.

“Oh, don't act so shocked Pine Tree, don't you remember what I promised you 2 years ago? How I'd tear your family into shreds if you left me there all alone?” the slender young man asked, eyeing the long knife in his hand with excited and loving expression. “Pain is hilarious Pine Tree…You should have heard all the lovely noises your parents made until they stopped moving,” the demon whispered, only to cackled insanely and raise one hand to cover a half of his face before grinning maliciously at the boy who still couldn’t move,

“You know, after you left me all alone in those woods, I just kept thinking of what you told me,” Bill started as he approached the teen slowly. The soles of his black dress shoes tapped gently against the wooden floor and Dipper could see how the smooth and shiny material was coated in his mother’s blood…blood that was seeping between the floor boards. “If I recall correctly, you said, “there is nothing you can do anymore to hurt anyone.”

Now that Bill was approaching him like a predator, Dipper started to back away from the blond while on the floor. Fear was still gripping his body and he couldn't stand up.

“That got me thinking, I don't really need to be a demon to make you suffer Pine Tree,” the slender young man chuckled as he approached the boy with the knife in his hand.

“You...you killed my parents just to get back at me?” Dipper asked in disbelief, the overly friendly and innocent grin on Bill's face making him want to vomit. “Because of something I said?”

 _He…he acts as if this is all just a game to him,_ Dipper realized.

“Well, you took everything from me...so I thought I'd return the favor,” Bill explained in a soft voice and with narrow eyes that were fixated on Dipper’s. His grin turned malicious and demonic as he followed the kid. “Besides, you did tell me to have fun as a human,” the older male chuckled, loving the scared expression the teen had as he towered over him. ”I'm merely following your advice and taking this body out for a wild ride! Pain and adrenaline are such wonderful and intoxicating things,” the demon cackled, exhilaration evident in his tone. ”I just can't get enough of them, and I want to share these wonderful experiences with you,” Bill finished, clearly high from the pain and adrenaline rush.

Dipper felt like he was going to faint,

“How...how could you do this?” the teen asked and his voice almost failed him. Sure they had faced danger in Gravity Falls but this….this was entirely something else.

“I am a demon,” Cipher laughed as he towered over Dipper with an insane and possessive look in those golden eyes of his, “and being turned into a human doesn’t mean I cease to be one,” he added with a soft purr and dreamy look. “I will be your personal demon, Pine Tree.”

Bill then ran his gloved hand through his short, elegantly cut golden blond hair with a cruel smile playing on his lips.

“You know Pine Tree…you are so adorably naïve and stupid. For someone with brains, you really don’t have the imagination to fathom the things humans can do. You really got stuck on the idea of me remaining like this…thinking that I was completely powerless to do anything,” the taller male almost giggled, some of his golden hair falling over his eyes.

 _How could I be so stupid?_  Dipper thought, knowing that he was paying for his naivety.

“It is not like humans can't do atrocious crimes,” the man burst into laughter, like this was the best thing ever, “and you can't even imagine the things I've done in this form,” Bill continued and looked all jittery. “Or the things that I will do to you.”

The golden haired man almost giggled as he slowly approached the scared teen. The look in his shining eyes was impatient, excited but also slightly hollow.

Dipper had hard time breathing as he stared into those mad golden eyes that promised only horrors.

“I...” Bill started as he moved towards Dipper in slightly staggering manner, as if his slender and thin body couldn't handle all the excitement and adrenaline, “I really... _really_  want to mess you up Pine Tree,” Bill finally said with a smile, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Dipper could see some of the blood drip from the edge of the knife onto the floor, leaving a trail of red dots behind the man,

“The things I'm going to do to you...” the demon almost panted with some of his blond bangs over his eyes. “I'm going to make sure you'll never forget them. I will be the first thing you think of when you wake up, and the last before you fall asleep.”

Dipper's back hit the sofa in the living room and his slow escape came to a halt. With his way backwards blocked, all Dipper could do was sit there and focus on his breathing while keeping his eyes fixated on Bill who was approaching him with the knife.

The thin young man seemed to have retained some demonic features. His corner teeth looked slightly sharper than normal person’s and in addition to his golden eyes, Bill’s fingers looked somehow extra long and dexterous.

 _He is like a slender man,_ Dipper thought in terror, recalling how he had showed videos about that creature to Mabel

“It is such a shame that human bodies break so easily,” the demon sighed in disappointment, his gaze shifting to Dipper’s father for a moment. “These two were gone in moments and offered very little amusement,” he finished with a cruel smile, turning his full attention to the brunette boy once more.

Dipper’s lip trembled in both sorrow and anger. He wanted to cry out and scream at Bill,

“But you,” Bill mused with a smile, his voice filled with possessive need and malicious intention, “I promise to cherish you, Pine Tree~” the demon finished, offering his hand to the boy before him. “I promise to make every moment special with you, kid.”

“No…no go away,” Dipper pleaded, not wanting to believe any of this to be real.

“Oh, I won’t be going any where, “ The demon cackled, turning the knife in his hand. “Now…come here and I won't hurt you,” Cipher said darkly and offered his free hand to the boy who had finally scrambled up onto his feet and was leaning onto the couch to support himself.

“Shh, it is alright, sapling” Bill purred as he reached out with his gloved hand, trying to grab Dipper like he had 2 years ago. ”I promise I won't hurt Mabel if you are a good boy and don’t fight. She can live a long…and relatively happy life with your grunkles,” the blond young man laughed cruelly. He was only few steps away from the teen who was panicking. “You on the other hand Pine Tree...there are lot of things I'm going to do to you.”

Dipper's breathing became frantic as he backed away towards the stairs, wanting to get some distance between him and Bill who was grinning at him with dark intentions.

“I really want to become a demon to you Pine Tree...” Bill whispered breathlessly.

The way the soles of his dress shoes tapped against the floor sounded ominous and threatening; each step bringing him closer to Dipper who so scared he could barely walk. The slender young man kept approaching his prey with an insane look in his golden eyes and the mad twitching grin on his face only widened when the boy stumbled a bit,

“How am I doing so far, my little sapling? Come with me and we'll have so much fun together,” Bill said, and whatever sanity he had possessed seemed to have left him, “I’ll never let you go.”

_I have to warn Ford and Stanley…to tell them what Bill has done._

Bill’s eyes remained fixated on Dipper’s and the look on his face was incredibly smug and cruel, “you know Pine Tree, I know you’ve told no one about me…” The demon chuckled, “Isn’t it just wonderful? They’ll never know why, or where you’ve disappeared to” the demon paused for a moment, only to cackled out loud. “Who knows, maybe they even blame YOU for this!”

Those cruel words finally snapped Dipper from his paralyzed and shocked state and he dashed the stairs up. If Bill was going to take or kill him, he'd have to contact Ford before the demon managed to do so. What the blond had said was true, he had not told about him to anyone, and that was probably his biggest mistake.

Bill loved the sight of the teen stumbling as he ascended the stairs. The thin blond man let the knife fall onto the floor as he no longer had any use for it. Dipper was going to be the only person he’d keep alive.

“You think you can escape from me? That’s just adorable!” Bill jeered as he followed the boy slowly, taking his time to make the pursuit of his prey all the more sweeter.

“Aren't you a bit too old to play hide and seek Pine Tree? “ Cipher asked with a demonic grin on his face before ascending few steps. “We can play later, I know all kinds of fun games you'll come to love.”

 _This is all my fault,_ Dipper thought in shock, if he had told Ford, Bill wouldn't have killed his and Mabel's parents.

The young Pines boy grabbed his cell phone off the bed, but his hands trembled so badly that he failed giving the right security code multiple times,

“Damn it!” Dipper cried out as he tried to calm down and take a deep breath before trying again, this time succeeding.

“Who are you going to call? The police? Your sister? Your Grunkle?” Bill mocked as he ascended the stairs, his steps echoing slightly, “or maybe Sixer? Are you going to beg him to find a solution for this? How to defeat me?” Bill taunted Dipper as he approached his prey's room, “well let me tell you kid, there ain’t one...” the demon hissed, glancing at the knife in his hand, “I swear, Sixer is going to end up like your parents if I see him...and given chance, I'll end your whole family line if they get in my way.”

“Come on, come on, pick up,” Dipper pleaded as he chose his Grunkle's number from the quick selection, but to his horror, Ford didn't pick up. He tried again. Bill's steps were getting closer and closer in the corridor,

“There is no point in hiding Pine Tree~” Bill said in sing song tone. “You should be happy...I'm going to take you back to that lovely town and free you from all obligations in this world.”

Dipper cursed the fact that none of the rooms had locks on them,

“I'll be good to you, I promise,” Bill sighed possessively, wanting to drive to poor young teen to the verge of madness.

“Please, great uncle Ford, pick up,” Dipper started to become desperate, never in his life had he felt this scared or terrified. His parents were dead and now the blond demon was coming for him. And the worst thing was, he could have prevented this all. “Pick up!” Dipper pleaded, too shocked to even run or escape. The window was jammed and the only way out was through the front door and to get there, he'd have to get past Cipher. “I don't want to die,” Dipper almost cried as he leaned against the wall, fighting to keep his standing position when he lost all strength in his legs.

“Hello,” Dipper suddenly heard, “Ford I...” He started, only to be interrupted.

“You’ve reached Stanford Pines, I'm not currently available, probably adventuring with my brother, Stanley, but leave a message after the beep;” he heard his great uncles voice mail.

Dipper just stood there in the utter darkness, his last hope of making it out of this fading as the door to his room opened slowly, revealing the thin, slender young man in the doorway. Bill was just standing there with a hungry look in those golden eyes of his.

 

“Great uncle Ford...I made a mistake,” the teen started, trying to keep his voice from failing him when Bill stepped into the room that had been his safe haven from the hectic world. Now it was a cage Dipper couldn’t escape,

“Peek a boo...” Bill whispered all playfully as he closed the door behind him.

“During my last day in Gravity Falls, I met Bill in the woods...and I didn't tell anyone...he...” Dipper continued but the words died on his lips when the thin young man walked over to him. His hand trembled, the cellphone almost falling from his hand, “I...I...” Dipper tried, unable to tear his gaze from Bill’s beautiful golden eyes that stared down at him,

“Go ahead sapling,” Bill whispered, his hand caressing the teen's cheek, neck and shoulder, smearing Dipper's skin with his mother and father's blood,

“I'm so sorry,” Dipper cried out, his voice finally failing him. “Tell Mabel I love her and that...that this is all my fault, I should have told you,” Dipper said, letting the phone fall from his hand onto the floor where it remained,

The demon chuckled softly as the lightning cracked outside the window once more and Dipper started to fear his life was going to end here,

“This all is indeed your fault Pine Tree,” Bill mused as he took hold of the boy’s face with his free hand, his touch almost gentle before pushing the kid painfully hard against the window frame and the glass,

“Because of you, I'm trapped like this...I lost my Weirdmageddon due you and your family’s actions,” Bill said with grin playing on his lips, loving the scared expression on the teen’s face. Dipper was clearly paralyzed by fear, “but we are going to take everything out of this existence, aren't we Pine Tree?”

“Bill, no, don't do this, “ Dipper pleaded, tears running down his face as the golden eyed demon tightened his hold on his jaw and chin.

“Are you scared sapling?” The golden-black haired young adult asked from the teen in his hold. Dipper felt like Bill just wanted to wrap those leather-gloved hands around his neck and squeeze until the life had drained from his eyes.

“I promise I won't hurt you...I'm just going to mess you up kid, ” the slender male laughed mirthfully, his fingers caressing his prey’s cheek before digging painfully into his flesh,

“Let me go Cipher,” The Pines boy almost begged and was unable to keep his body from trembling. He had nowhere to run and the other male knew it. The demon's promises were worth nothing and Dipper knew that whatever fate awaited him in Bill's grasp would be nightmarish. The usually so strong willed boy had no strength left in him. Bill had taken his parents away without mercy and it was all his fault for not telling Ford or someone about him.

“Now why would I do that?”

“This has to be all a bad dream, this can't be real,” The brunette teen wished, his voice becoming panicked when he felt Bill nuzzle the side of his head before whispering softly against his ear,

“Not this time. Everything is real and that’s the best thing about me having a human form.”

 

Dipper, who had been paralyzed by fear, snapped out of it the moment he felt Bill kiss and bite his ear gently,

“I have so many amazing things I want to try out with you, we’ll have so much fun together!” Cipher laughed, his dexterous fingers smearing the now cold blood over Dipper’s cheek and neck.

The sensation made the brunette teen feel sick to his core. He had to escape!

“I'm not going anywhere with you Bill,” Dipper cried out in anger and attempted to push the taller male away, but Bill had expected resistance. The boy’s futile attempts to retaliate against him merely the demon’s smile widen to the point he was grinning from ear to ear. The blond took a firm grip of Dipper’s arm when he tried to get away, only to swing the teen around and wrap his arms around him so that the boy couldn’t strike at him with his arms pinned to his sides.

Bill laughed happily as he pulled the thrashing teen tightly against his body. Despite being thin as a stick, the blond was surprisingly strong and could keep Dipper easily under his control no matter how hard the panicking kid fought. He wriggled like a wild animal, crying out and shrieking in fear and sorrow. This was his last desperate attempt to escape Bill who only wished harm to him.

“I've waited 2 years for this Pine Tree,” Bill murmured, loving the scent of Dipper’s hair. The boy was calming down due to the emotional exhaustion and lack of energy, fighting Bill was just futile.

“I'm going to take you back to gravity Falls, Pine Tree, doesn't that sound like fun?” the demon asked and tightened his hold on the boy, “I have everything ready for you, Sapling, and no one will ever find you,“ the blond whispered to Dipper when the boy started to calm down due to lack of energy. “You will simply just vanish...” The teen panted, tears of fear and grief running down his face as he demon nuzzled the top of his head in loving manner,

“There are so many dark secrets Sixer never discovered and I’m going to show them all to you…it is going to be just you and me…and the best thing is that I can do anything I want to you.”

The human turned demon could feel Dipper’s elevated pulse as he held him, telling him just how scared and distressed the teen was. Without his sister, Dipper was terrified and vulnerable, just the way Bill loved it.

The boy still looked so childlike with his soft skin and large eyes, even if he had grown somewhat taller and gained more angular facial features. Bill could tell that the kid was going to turn into a handsome young man.

“I'm going to love this, Pine Tree, you'll make a perfect pet for me,” the demon taunted his captive who could feel Bill’s warm body press against his back in almost comforting manner. “By the way, I’ve learned a new trick, wanna see? It is really neat!” Bill asked with a happy look on his face, but before Dipper could answer, Bill knocked the boy out cold.

“Whoops,” the demon cackled as he let go of Dipper, letting him fall onto the floor so that he'd definitely get few bruises.

The demon chuckled as he poked the unconscious kid few times with the tip of his shoe to make sure he was out cold.

“Sweet dreams,” the blond murmured even if unconscious people didn’t dream. His golden eyes fixated on the cell phone on the floor and he leaned over to pick it up. For a moment, Bill was tempted to call Ford and tell him how he’d never see his dear grand nephew again, but…that’d put him at an unnecessary risk. No, he needed to protect himself until his plans came to fruition.

Dipper’s panicked message to Ford was the only valid proof of his existence and he had no intentions of recording his own voice for the police to use.

They were going to find the bodies, oh yes, but with no fingerprints anywhere due to the leather gloves, Pine Tree would no doubt be first suspect. It was going to be just perfect. No doubt the police would blame it all on Dipper, claiming that he snapped due to the bullying he had experienced. The kid’s apologetic call and trying to blame it on some outsider would probably only enforce the theory. No doubt the family would believe the call but the evidence would show otherwise. Bill knew he didn’t exist in any system. All they had a name and possibly a location.

 _If Sixer or Shooting Star want to hunt me down, let them,_ Bill mused as he went through the boy’s contacts,  _I’m not going to let anyone take Pine Tree from me…this way I can get my revenge on all of them._

Bill patted the unconscious boy’s head gently as he put the cellphone into his coat’s pocket. Cipher then grabbed the boy’s messenger bag and backpack, filling them with necessary items for a hastily planned runaway trip

Once the demon was satisfied with his work, he turned his attention back to his prey who lied on the floor.

“Now, shall we go Pine Tree? It is time for the demon to spirit you away,” Bill purred as he picked the teen up and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him out of the house and into the stormy night. Never to be seen again.

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry Dipper and Mabel :C my fingers just slipped and the chapter turned out like this by accident! It was like "poof" they are dead! Bill is way too OOC...I just have hard time handling him in his human form.


	3. The Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper drive towards Gravity Falls and share a small conversation together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally managed to update this :D had the chapter written weeks ago but just didn't have the time to check it through.

Demon's daydream chapter 3

 

Dipper blinked a couple of times as he was slowly brought back to the waking world from his dreamless slumber. The demon had not been overly gentle and his head was hurting like there was no end to it.

For a brief moment the Pines teen could enjoy the blissful ignorance, the few fleeting serene and hazy seconds during which he couldn't remember what had happened. But, as he regained his senses, the memories of the events prior to him getting knocked out flooded into his mind like a tidal wave that wrecked everything in its wake..

The uncontrollable stream of memories and sensations incapacitated the Pines boy and for a moment, he was completely paralyzed. The sight of his parent's dead bodies flashed before his eyes and he could still feel Bill's hands on him, grabbing, exploring, holding and eventually subduing him without mercy before knocking him out cold.

 _This has to be just another nightmare,_ Dipper thought desperately and a part of him wanted to deny all of this as just some twisted fantasy or dream he was having, _there is no way this can be real, my parents just cant be dead...they can't have been murdered by him._

But, the sight of his mother's maimed and bloody corpse along with the horrified expression on her face had burned into Dipper's mind permanently, constantly reminding the teen that he was living in a nightmare now, one brought to reality by none other than Bill.

The way the human turned demon had held him and what he had said made his heart race.

 

The teen was still feeling disoriented and faint, and his eye sight was blurry with double vision that made it hard to tell where he was.

 

Dipper shifted slightly and tried to make sense of what was going on or where he was.

His eye sight was still blurry but the passing tall trees and sounds of water drops hitting a glass, no, a windshield before him told him that he was inside a car on a front seat.

 

The Pines teen gasped and looked around to see that he indeed was inside a car that was going through dark woods in the middle of the night and next to him was Bill on the driver's seat, steering the car with bored expression. Yet, when the blond sensed that someone was looking at him, he glanced at Dipper, a small creepy smile forming on his lips.

Dipper was wordless and all he could do was stare at his captor who seemed to be more delighted to have him wake up. The silence between them was heavy, but lasted only for few seconds.

“Oh you are awake, how wonderful!” Bill chuckled and flashed Dipper a grin before focusing on the road once more, not wanting to drive the car off the road or something, “I was getting so bored with this,” the demon scoffed as the car glided silently on the wet road.

The thunder boomed over them but neither of the two humans were fazed by it. All Dipper could do was stare at the young man who had only a while ago killed his parents in cold blood just so he could get a revenge on him. The boy was unhealthy pale and clearly still in shock over everything that had happened.

“I hit you pretty hard....hope there isn't any permanent damage,” the young adult mused and glanced at Dipper, his golden eyes half lid and shining in the darkness, “though, by the looks of it...I think I did do some damage to your psyche kid, I love that scared look,” the demon sighed happily, his grin so wide that his eyes narrowed maliciously, “its something I'd love to see on your face every day from now on. And believe me, I can ensure that if I want to.”

Dipper's eyes were wide and something inside him snapped, his expression turning absolutely murderous.

“You monster!” Dipper yelled in pure rage and tried to attack Bill, to make him drive off the road or something but the demon didn't even flinch, only cackling when Dipper's attack was halted by the seat belt that stopped him with a jolt.

Not only that, but Dipper found his hands tied together behind his back by the wrist with a coarse and thin rope. The boy's eyes blazed with hate and rage and he bared his teeth at the demon beside him who was every now and then eying him possessively, clearly loving the rage and sorrow Dipper was in.

The Pines boy tried his all to wriggle from his bindings and get the seat belt, off but it was stuck. The coarse rope dug into Dipper's skin, tearing it off slightly. But no matter how hard he tried, the boy couldn't do anything and soon enough his energy faded and he found himself breathing heavily and resting against the seat.

The throbbing pain in his head was getting worse each passing second and it felt like his head might just split open.

The desperate and somewhat pitiful attempt to escape or hurt the young man who had killed his parents died down and soon enough all Dipper could do was hyperventilate as Bill drove the car. Dipper swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. The worst and perhaps the scariest thing was how he could constantly sense the demon staring at him. It was as if Bill had more than one pair of eyes on him since he could navigate the car while eying him so easily. It was unnerving. Could it be that the human turned demon had retained some of his powers?

“Are you done yet?” Bill asked maliciously, sneering at Dipper who was in shock and breathing heavily, “you know Pine Tree, you are pretty cute when you are mad,” the demon said in mocking tone, knowing very well that Dipper was just a little bit more than mad. He was seething with rage.

Dipper grit his teeth as he stared at the road before them, and the heavy rain that just didn't let up. It hit the windshield and roof in almost serene manner, but it did nothing to calm the teen down. His heart and mind was in turmoil and the physical pain he felt was nothing compared to the emotional and mental anguish caused by the man next to him.

Silence fell over the car. Rain, thunder and wind were their only companions in the night.

 _They are gone. My mother and father were killed by Bill,_ the sentence was absurd but real, _I'll never see them again_ , Dipper thought.

The scent of blood was still fresh in the air even if it had dried up already. It was dark and sticky on Bill's yellow vest and now that Dipper looked more closely...he could see that the man's black leather gloves were covered in it as well.

 _I may never see Mabel, or my grunkles,_ the boy realized and it made his heart race, _I'm all alone with Bill. What...what will he do with me?_

Dipper was rarely scared anymore. After learning to control his fear during that adventure with Stanford, and surviving through Weirdmageddon, the daily life of a teen didn't really faze him. But after seeing what Bill had done to his mom and dad...Dipper couldn't help but feel scared and helpless.

The pain he felt over losing his loved ones was so painful that Dipper felt like his heart couldn't take it. His parents had done nothing bad to the demon, heck, they had not even believed him to be real. Bill had just taken them from him because they had existed in his life.

Dipper could feel his eyes burn and soon enough his vision got all blurry. He blinked a couple of times in attempt to clear it, only to realize that he was starting to cry.

 _No no no, I don't want to cry...I can't_ , Dipper thought furiously, not wanting to let Bill see him this scared and vulnerable, but no matter what he tried helped. He couldn't even wipe the tears away with his hands bound behind his back.

The Pines boy could feel Bill leering at him when few tears rolled down his face, only to be followed by a soft and quiet sob of fear and sorrow.

 _They are gone, nothing will bring mom and dad back,_ Dipper thought and it made it only worse.

“Poor little Pine Tree,” Bill mused when Dipper pressed his forehead against the cool window, wanting to hide his tears,

“cry if you want, but it won't change anything,” the demon chuckled coldly, taking one hand off the wheel to gently caress the boy's bare neck. The affectionate yet mocking gesture only made Dipper breathe more rapidly and whimper in terror.

Bill's touch made his skin crawl. He'd do anything to get away from the blond, “you are mine sapling...and I can do whatever I want with you~,” the young man with angular face mused, his tone almost possessive. “How does it feel, Pine Tree? Knowing that you are mine?”

The boy felt like the demon could devour him whole any moment,

“I might have lost your realm as my plaything, but I still have my favorite toy left,” the young man almost giggled at the crying teen who was at his breaking point.

 _I want to go home_ , Dipper thought as he sobbed quietly, hating every second this murderer was touching him like this. But, he also knew that there was no home for him to return to.

“Oh don't be so melodramatic Pine Tree...wanna hear something fun?” The blond and thin demon cackled, but Dipper refused to turn to him. Bill's beautiful golden eyes were half lidded and his grin was wide,

“back then when I possessed your body, I was going to throw it off the water tower when I had no longer use for it,” the demon purred and Dipper what ever remnants of color remained on the boy's face, vanished,

“then, you would have wandered the mind scape for all eternity with me,” the demon said almost dreamily, “imagine it, Pine Tree. Just you and me for all eternity. Well I'm going to make that happen now.”

 

Dipper grit his teeth, trying to keep the sobs down but nothing helped, the tears just kept coming and some of them landed onto his jeans.

 

The young boy just sobbed hopelessly for a moment and refused to say anything to the demon beside him, but Bill didn't really seem to mind...if anything he listened to every hopeless noise his prey made, enjoying them immensely.

“Mom...” Dipper found himself whispering and gritting his teeth as tears just kept coming. Slowly but surely whatever shreds of self composure and mental strength he had, faded when the tidal wave of desperation hit him. Whatever fate awaited him was going to be nightmarish.

“Cry all you like, Pine Tree,” Bill mused, caressing the boy's cheek and neck lovingly, “as I said, it won't change anything.”

Finally, the boy broke down, the emotions overwhelming him. His parents were gone because of him, because he had not told about Bill to Ford. Mabel would return to an empty home and would probably have to help planning the funeral with her great uncles who were adventuring together.

Dipper's soft sobs turned into wailing as large warm tears rolled down his face.

 _If I hadn't listened to the music so loud, maybe I could have saved my parents_ , the self accusations started to take over Dipper's mind and he couldn't help but blame himself, _If I had just told Grunkle Ford or Stan about Bill, none of this would have happened._

The demon sensed his weakness and smiled maliciously, wanting to see his little victim break down even more,

“You caused this Pine Tree, this is all your fault you know? If you had simply helped me, your parents would have been saved...oh poor Shooting Star, she'll have to return to an empty home. You know, I don't think your mother can have an open casket for the funeral.”

Bill knew just the right words to thrust the knife deeper into Dipper's heart and psyche, twisting it agonizingly slowly in the wound that would never heal.

He couldn't endure this hopeless, devastating and utterly crushing sorrow any longer.

Dipper closed his eyes and just sobbed and wailed, unable to pull himself together. He was 15 already, he wasn't supposed to cry like this...especially not when the murderer of his parents sat right next to him, saying all those cruel things to him that were true, but he just couldn't help it.

The thin blond man was grinning and his eyes shifted to Dipper every now and then. He absolutely loved the sight of the boy's utter break down.

“Mom, Dad...Mabel, help me.” Dipper cried out and slumped slightly forward, his eyes red and puffy, but only answer he got from the man beside him was a wicked grin, one that told Dipper that the blond reveled in his sorrow and misfortune. The Pines teen let out a small whimper and tried to get away when the demon just kept petting his head in almost loving manner, some of the dried blood smearing onto his brunette hair and pale face.

Bill really was a demon.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours until the car's digital clock was showing 3 am. Dipper had finally gone quiet, his sobbing died down until only the rain was heard along with couple of sniffles.

 

The thin blond hummed softly and drummed the wheel with his long fingers.

“What? Did you run out of energy?” the demon asked in malicious and mirthful tone, the look in his golden eyes almost playful.

Dipper didn't reply. He felt disgusted with himself, unable to even wipe away the tears due to his hands being bound together behind his back.

 

“Are you going to kill me now?” Dipper asked weakly and much to his surprise, the demon merely shook his head slightly.

“I told you already, I have no intentions of killing you, quite the contrary in fact...I have big plans for us,” the blond laughed softly, admiring the view that opened before them. The road took them through a thick old fores and the moon was still traveling across the dark night sky.

“Us?”Dipper inquired, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“Back in Gravity Falls,” Bill explained with a scoff, his eyes now fixated on the road, “I told you already, I'm taking you there.”

 

“Why?” Dipper asked the tears finally stopping completely.

“I've spent the past 2 years establishing myself in that miserable little town, Pine Tree. I've been setting the game board ready for the last two years, but I only needed my favorite piece, “Bill explained and glanced at Dipper with possessive glimmer in his eyes, ”you.”

“How? With my Grunkle Stanley and Stanford there,” Dipper croaked out, his eyes red and slightly puffy, “how didn't they run into you? They should have torn you apart!” Dipper snapped angrily and Bill just kept staring at the road, glancing at Dipper every now and then.

“I won't say it wasn't easy, but your family line is so naive...and left tons of useful stuff for me to use,” the demon kept a dramatic pause, "I had my ways to deal with the townsfolk."

  
“No,” Dipper whispered when he realized what Bill meant, “Bill, what have you done!? Who else have you murdered in addition to my parents?!”

Bill scoffed, “to be honest, I haven't killed anyone in the Falls, no matter how much I've wanted to,” the demon explained calmly, his eyes flashing with something sinister,

“for now, they can live their meaningless short lives all I care... I still have my uses for all of them, and believe me, by the time I've done with you, that town is gone along with your mind.”

Dipper was confused, _what has Bill done with the village?_

Bill looked truly demonic as he glanced at Dipper with a pleasant, overly friendly smile,

“I used a memory gun. Managed to snatch one from the society of the blind eye.”

“Memory gun?” Dipper thought out loud, hoping things wouldn't be so bad in the town after all, _sure, the society of the blind eye had done things but all they did was remove the memories of supernatural beings. Forgetting a thing or two can't be that bad._

“I've played around with their heads just a little bit,” the demon mused with a smile, noticing the small change in Dipper's expression, the sudden relief. Oh how foolish the kid could be.

 

“Take the good old Question Mark for an example, he doesn't even remember his lovely sweetheart...I erased her memories of him as well...” The demon cackled, eyes wide and filled with maliciousness that had no end,

“oh it was so hilarious to watch! Now he lives with his grandmother again and doesn't even remember me....or you!” Bill cackled loudly to Dipper's horror.

 

 _Soos doesn't remember Melody? And...he doesn't remember me?_ Dipper thought in horror. Having Bill erase Soos's most wonderful things was almost worse than death. He didn't remember the happiness he had with Melody. How can Bill be so cruel!?

 

“You are going to love what I've built there, Pine Tree,” Bill grinned, “I've claimed Mystery Shack all for myself. Isn't it wonderful to know you are returning to the place you love? ”

Dipper trembled, the mere idea of the human turned demon having claimed the Mystery Shack he had come to love during that summer made him feel ill.

“But...But the towns folk...surely they'd recognize your voice?” Dipper asked, trying not to think of how Bill was taking him back to the Mystery Shack that he had taken from Soos in such a cruel manner.

“Oh some of them did, but I merely erased all memories they had of me...once enough people had no memory of anything weird happening, other started to get convinced it had been all just a bad dream. I quickly became just another guy in Gravity Falls,” Bill explained,

“ a newcomer who had set up his home in the old tourist attraction.”

“Oh and...” the demon started, only to stop himself. Instead, he merely smiled at Dipper in malicious manner, “actually, I rather keep it as a surprise,” Bill chuckled sinisterly as they drove towards Gravity Falls.

 

The coarse ropes burned Dipper's wrists and no matter how hard or persistently he tried, he just couldn't get his hands free.

The silvery moon traveled slowly across the sky and it was nearing the early morning hours. The demon yawned loudly and popped his shoulders slightly as he steered the car,

“One thing I despise about human bodies is the need for energy and nourishment, you are such fragile creatures,” the golden-black haired man said with a playful grin on his face as he pulled the car over to a small road that took them into the woods into a remote camping site, away from any curious people or by-passers.

Dipper lifted his gaze slightly, hoping that Bill's need for rest could be a chance for him to escape.

The demon parked the black car and turned off the engine and for the first time in a while, there was utter silence between them. To Dipper, the quietness felt unnerving and scary, as if it was just a moment of calm before the storm.

The way Bill was leaning against the wheel, glancing at him ever so slightly with dark and malicious intentions in his eyes made him swallow. His eyes still burned and were swollen from the tears and the demon couldn't help but grin at the sight, his eyes narrowed.

“Save your tears for later, Pine Tree...If anything, I did your parents a favor you know. After all, don't they say a parent shouldn't be the one to bury their children? Or lose them..”

“You said you weren't going to kill me,” Dipper found himself saying and the demon closed his eyes for a moment and looked content, as he rested his head onto his arms,

“Well, you'll be good as dead to the world, simply put, you'll be gone,” the demon said cryptically and the teen could feel his heart beat grow faster.

Bill straightened his body and took off his seatbelt before stretching his arms,

“I have to rest for a few hours before we continue to gravity Falls,” Bill murmured as he searched his pocket for something,

“and knowing you, Pine Tree, you'll try escaping me or coming up with a plot or something,” the human turned demon purred, “and I simply can't have that, oh no, you won't trick me again.”

Dipper's eyes widened in terror when the tall and thin young adult pulled a small paper bundle out of his pocket,

 _Oh gosh no,_ was all Dipper could think when he saw that inside the paper bundle were few pills that looked handmade, _is Bill doing to drug me?_

“I made these myself just for you,” the demon cackled, his golden eyes having almost an insane and sadistic glimmer to them,

“Fairy dust and unicorn blood...these things will knock you out for the rest of the trip...it was nice to have some company for the beginning of the trip but Pine Tree, you are just not much fun traveling company right now,” the blond purred, “I simply don't want to spoil the surprise when we get to Gravity Falls.”

“Usually anesthesia would cause dreamless state, but the magic in these will allow you to dream while you sleep,” Bill explained, “you'll get to enjoy whatever horrors your mind can conjure, unable to wake up until the effect passes.”

 

 _Bill made these himself_? Dipper thought in disbelief, that only meant they could be extremely dangerous, no to mention disgusting. The mere idea of swallowing something made of pixie dust, unicorn blood and god knows what made what ever color remained in the boy's face drain away and cold sweat form on his brow.

 

Before Dipper could say anything, Bill opened the door and stepped into the rain, walking around the car to the passenger's side, yanking the door open and grabbing the fearful boy by the collar of his shirt, dragging him outside, only to push him onto the back seat of the car where there was more room for them. The thin young man got in with Dipper and closed the door.

“Now, be a good little sapling and swallow one of these,” the demon purred as he offered his prey the handmade drugs made from unicorn blood and fairy dust that could knock a troll unconscious, “It will make the journey so much easier for you. Young kids need their sleep.”

“NO!” Dipper said and tried to thrash and keep the taller male away, wanting to desperately get the possibly dangerous substance as far away from him as possible, “I don't want to take any!! Please don't!”

However, all Dipper's actions got was an unamused look from the demon who sighed heavily before grabbing a handful of Dipper's soft brown hair with his gloved hand, the black leather still coated in his mother's blood.

“Stay still,” the demon commanded and Dipper grit his teeth in anger and pain. Thrashing would only hurt him now and despite having grown up slightly during the past few years, Bill was still a fully grown adult compared to him, even if he was a stick.

The demon pulled the boy against his body, only to release his hold on Dipper's hair and instead snake his arm around his neck.

 _No nononono_ , Dipper thought in fear and anxiety, his eyes wide with utterly desperate look in them and he was sure Bill could hear his heart pounding against his chest.

“Either you are a good boy and swallow this nicely, or I'll choke you until you have to open your mouth,” Bill whispered against Dipper's ear as he offered the strange looking pill to him.

The teen could feel the demon's warm body press against his back. He was practically sitting in the older male's lap, yet the warmth he felt only made him more scared and panicked.

The paralyzing anxiety and fear took hold of his mind and body and all the Pines boy could do was shake his head slightly, not wanting to take the drug the demon had made just for him.

A part of him feared, that if he took it, he might never wake up again, that it would kill him.

“You'll see nice dreams all the way back to Gravity Falls,” Bill purred as he applied some pressure around Dipper's neck to choke him, “and you'll wake up in your favorite place in the world, we'll have so much fun together....so be a good little sapling and open up,” the demon finished and nuzzled the back of his prisoner's neck in loving manner.

The pressure around his neck blocked Dipper's airway and breathing became harder until eventually Bill cut his air supply completely, forcing him to part his lips in desperate attempt to gasp for air.

The moment his lips parted, Bill slipped the pill past them and clamped his hand tightly over the boy's mouth while his other arm snaked over Dipper's chest to keep him still and close, pressed against his taller lanky form.

“Swallow it,” the golden haired man commanded quietly as he held the boy who was thrashing like a wild animal in pure panic, tears trickling down his face.

Their bodies were almost tangled together with Bill trying to keep the younger male under his control, while Dipper tried his all to get himself free in the cramped space. The young Pines teen felt utterly powerless against Bill who was in total control of the situation and a part of him feared that once he'd fall asleep, he might never wake up. It was an utterly terrifying feeling.

The blond tightened his hold on his prey, rendering his struggles futile.

The demon chuckled softly when his captive was finally forced to swallow the mixture made from magical ingredients. His lips almost touched Dipper's ear, “have nice dreams,” the demon turned human whispered mirthfully and mocking, kissing the boy's temple.

 

Bill removed his hand from Dipper's mouth and the boy started coughing immediately.

“Let go of me Bill!” Dipper yelled desperately, renewing his efforts to try and get out of the demon's hold who was now caressing his neck and face gently. The scared teen breathed heavily, his whole body trembling.

Bill could only wonder what was going through his Pine Tree's little head. The boy knew that he had swallowed something that would put him into vulnerable state against his will, during which the demon could do anything he wanted with him, whether it was to kill or rip out his teeth. But why would he do that? Pine Tree was his most priced possession, one he was not going to share with any of his lackeys.

“Are you scared, pine tree?” Bill asked as he held the scared, crying and outright hysteric teen against his taller form.

Dipper's eyes were wide with terror and the demon could see the fear and desperation evident in them. The 15 year old teen was trembling and tried to ignore the sensation of Bill caressing his cheek with his gloved fingers to the best of his ability. It was kind, almost affectionate feeling, but there was nothing warm about it.

The Pines boy had no strength left in his body and finally submitted fully to the demon who looked more than satisfied. Dipper was too emotionally and physically exhausted to continue the meaningless struggle now that he had swallowed the drug.

 _What's the point?_ Dipper thought as he rested his head against Bill's shoulder that felt so warm against his face, _he won._

 

The way he caressed and held his prisoner was almost comforting, but Dipper knew that the demon did this out of mockery and malice. He offered cold, meaningless comfort, perhaps finding sick satisfaction in how he had killed his parents and was now offering warmth and possible source of comfort and care to the grieving boy who was probably hungry for it.

Dipper could feel how the magical concoction started to take its effect on his body. Slowly but surely, all of his his strength faded and lethargy took over. He couldn't have moved his arm even if he wanted to.

“That's right, just relax,” the blond man murmured maliciously as the boy relaxed in his hold, his heart still racing, “you don't have to worry about anything anymore, Pine Tree, your existence is irrelevant now. From now on, you have no one else but me,” Bill laughed mockingly as he held the teen boy in his embrace, nuzzling Dipper's neck and face with his own.

The soft sound of rain felt almost like a lullaby to Dipper and he closed his eyes. Suddenly, Bill's warm embrace didn't feel so bad after all. The thin, almost stick like blond demon cackled quietly when the boy in his hold relaxed completely, curling up ever so slightly against him to feel warmer.

After what felt like an eternity to Dipper, he drifted into sleep that was filled with nightmares, each more horrifying than the previous one. All the while Bill caressed his head in malicious manner.

Bill too yawned loudly and enjoyed the warmth of the boy's body, who could have thought intimacy felt this good. He was definitely going to keep the boy . The thin blond man closed his eyes and for a moment just enjoyed the feeling and sensations.

He had never experienced intimacy in his nightmarish realm. Who could have thought that holding someone like this could feel so satisfying. It was probably the only thing he found wonderful in this weak, fragile and useless form.

“I will get back my powers, “ Bill murmured, having retained only a fraction of his true power, “but I think I'll preserve this form, visiting it every now and then,” the demon chuckled, his golden eyes flashing dangerously.

If it wasn't for the soft rain bombarding the roof and windows, the car would have been completely silent. Bill trailed his fingers along Dipper's chest, feeling the boy's now calm heart beat with his hand

“I'm going to get my revenge Pine Tree, you, your sister, Sixer, Stanley and the whole village will be sorry,” the lanky young man sighed, resting his head against the boy's, “ and you...you get to live an eternity knowing it was your fault,” the demon finished with a smile, turning Dipper's head to press his lips against the boy's soft ones for a chaste, albeit foreboding kiss,

“Your life is going to be a nightmare. I'll promise you that,” Bill purred when their lips parted.

 

* * *

 

The wind blew harshly as Stanley and Stanford steered their boat, Stan o' War II, to the small dock they had built. The sea had been especially harsh for the past few days but one had to endure storms and rough sea weather if they wanted to record the mysteries of the sea.

“Did you throw the anchor already?” Ford asked as he fastened the ropes to a pole to secure the boat better.  
“Of course I did, Ford, I'm not stupid,” Stanley groaned as he jumped to the dock.

“Well there was that one time...” Ford muttered, but shut up when his twin gave him an annoyed look that said, _I know, how many times do you have to remind me? Besides, the boat didn't get that far.._.

Ford chuckled softly as he finished with his work, heading to the small cabin on the shore that served as their base of operation.

Once inside the warm, almost homely wooden building, Ford's cellphone beeped, telling that he had gained a voice mail.

“Who's it from?” Stanley asked as he put the kettle on.

Ford pulled the cell phone from his pocket and on the screen read, “Dipper Pines.”

“Oh, it's from Dipper, he no doubt wants an update on our work,” Ford chuckled. The young boy was always so hungry for knowledge, wanting to join the two of them when the vacation time came.

“Put it on the speaker, I want to hear what that rascal has been up to with his sister,” Stanley replied as he searched the cabins for some tea.

Ford pushed his glasses up a bit and pressed the play button.

“ _ **Great uncle Ford...I made a mistake.”**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a bad feeling I might have made Bill a complete psychopath or sociopath here...poor little Dipdop. Any thoughts? Ideas? Complaints?


	4. Gravity Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my finest chapters. Kinda more of "How on earth do I get Bill and Dipper to Gravity Falls?!"

 

Bill frowned all displeased when the cold and bright morning sun peeked from behind the trees and hit him straight into face, forcing the nightmare demon to stir from his slumber. With a loud yawn, Cipher opened his unnaturally golden eyes to face the autumn morning, only to squint them at the bright rays of sun that dared to disturb his rest.

“If I had my full power, I'd throw that damn sun to another dimension,” Bill grumbled angrily and put his arm over his eyes in attempt to try and hide his face from the cruel sun and get few more moments of sleep, only to instantly shake off the drowsiness when he remembered who he was, what he had done and what he was planning to do. Much to Cipher's relief, the young teen was sleeping soundly against him and was probably going to be trapped in his nightmares for many more hours.

Bill rose up slightly and glanced out of the car window to see a beautiful, but cold autumn morning greet him outside. The leaves on the trees were a colorful mix of green, yellow and red and the whole area was covered in soft silver mist that would disappear as the day continued.  
It was quite chilly inside the car as well, but Dipper's warm body in his arms drove off some of the coldness, making the demon want to just snuggle with the sleeping boy for a while. Only now did he realize that he had been hugging Dipper quite tightly during the night, having clearly sought the Pine Tree's body warmth. The teen's head was resting against Bill's chest and he had wrapped his arms around the golden haired man's middle. It seemed like his poor little Pine Tree had sought comfort and warmth during his slumber to soothe his sorrow and fears.

“How delightful Pine Tree, clinging onto me like I could, or had any interest drive to away your pain,” the demon chuckled maliciously, his hand traveling down the boy's back. “If anything, I'm going to cause you so much more sorrow. You have no idea...”

Dipper shifted slightly in his sleep and murmured something that Bill couldn't quite catch and it was clear that he wouldn't be able to wake the boy until the magical drug had lost its effect.

As much as it was fun to watch the boy weep and struggle accepting the cruel reality he had forced upon him, it would be nice to make the rest of the journey in peace and plan his actions for the coming days.

“Don't worry Pine Tree, we'll have all the time in the world when we get to Gravity Falls. I'm the only one who is there for you, the only one who will listen to your worries, fears and cries,” the evil demon whispered darkly as he petted the teen's head affectionately. “I will cherish every moment with you, your every cry of fear and hopelessness until your spirit is dead.”

Just when the demon was about to move Dipper off of him in order to continue their journey, he stopped for a moment when the sleeping boy tightened his hold on him and mumbled something in his sleep, burying his face against his chest. The stupid kid was clearly having some vivid dream, probably a horrifying nightmare because he looked pale with a thin layer of sweat on his brow.

“Please...don't...Mabel help,” he whispered before sobbing and whimpering hopelessly. “Mom...don't go.”

The demon's grin widened and he looked truly sinister, twisted and malicious.

“I will feed on your misery, sorrow and pain kid,” Cipher muttered as he held Dipper close, loving the shared body warmth. “I'll break your little mind and when that is done, I'll wrap your damaged heart and soul around my little finger so that you can't dare to even think of a life without me,” he continued and sighed in content when the sleeping boy shifted slightly on him, seeking more comfortable position.

 _Heh, I guess a human body has_ _ **some**_ _good sides,_ Bill mused as he just rested there for a moment and enjoyed the feeling.

“You know, I could really get used to this, Pine tree”, Cipher purred as he pet the boy. The idea of waking up with Dipper in his arms every morning started to get quite appealing now that he thought about it. Oh it would be just wonderful having the heart broken, scared and hopeless child seeking comfort and warmth from him, when he was the one who had caused it all. It was such a sinfully and ruinously lovely idea.

The demon spend a moment just listening to all the lovely noises his prisoner made and petting his still small body. It was such a shame that he'd have to eventually move, else they'd never get to Gravity Falls.

Bill wrapped his long arms tighter around the boy and gave him a tight hug, cuddling with him for a moment. The boy's scent and warmth felt nice and pleasant; it made him want more, so much more.

“I'm going to kill everyone who tries to take you from me,” Bill laughed darkly as he caressed the sleeping boy's head, feeling his soft brunette hair with a possessive look in his golden eyes.

“My little Pine Tree,” the demon mused as he kept petting the vulnerable and defenseless sleeping teen. “All mine...”

The initial plan had been to make the kid's life miserable, to hurt him and take everything from him before eventually killing him in some horrific manner, but keeping Dipper as a pet for all eternity felt like such a better punishment now, especially since he wasn't going to be a kind master.

To be honest, Cipher hadn't felt this excited in thousands of years. Sure, he had been stripped from his true form and powers, but as he held the scared sobbing teen close to him, a sense of thrill and excitement filled his soul. Before his plans would come to fruition, he was going to break Dipper completely and make him into a scared and obedient pet.

The sense of power was addictive feeling and only now, as he absentmindedly brushed some of the boy's hair off his forehead, did Bill realize just how much control he had over Dipper.

“Such a stupid child, you can only blame yourself for this,” the demon whispered maliciously and traced his finger tips along the lines of the birthmark. Without his family or sister, the boy was all alone, weak and scared. Dipper was his to break and take care of.

He was going to cut all other options for the teen until he'd have no other choice but to submit to him in order to have some shred comfort in his miserable life.

After a quarter of an hour, the golden haired demon finally decided that it was time to move and opened the door. He picked Dipper onto his arms and carried him the short distance to the front side. Cipher opened the black car door and placed his prisoner gently onto the seat. He then walked around the vehicle to the driver's side and got in as well.

The nightmare demon glanced at Dipper who was still trapped in his nightmares and let out a small “hmph”.  
“Just a while longer Pine Tree, then we will have so much fun together,” the cruel young man promised in malicious and sinister tone before starting the engine.

 

* * *

 

Cipher drummed the car wheel with his gloved fingers as he drove through the town of Gravity Falls with vexed, tired and annoyed expression on his face. The ride back to the small remote town had been a long one and utterly boring without his small prisoner keeping him entertained with his sobs and pleads. But, as much as he would have loved to hear and watch the boy try and fight his sorrow and cry, he had made the right decision putting Dipper under the effect of the magical sleeping drug. The teen would no doubt have tried killing him in his sleep.

However, now that he had made it back to Gravity Falls and had to look at the annoying faces of the hapless, idiotic villagers, he wished Dipper was awake just to see how he'd react. Thankfully the human boy had started to stir slowly from his forced slumber. The Pines boy kept slipping between the waking and sleeping world and was disoriented, letting out a whimper or two every now and then. Once awoken, it would take few more hours for the effects of the ingredients to fade fully. The boy would be weak with no control over his body.

Bill took a sharp turn to a small dirt road that would take them to the Mystery Shack and the momentum was enough to make the boy shake some of the drowsiness away.

A creepy and hideous smile formed on Cipher's handsome face and his golden eyes gleamed dangerously as he eyed the half-awake teen next to him who was fighting to stay awake, clearly scared and not sure if what he was experiencing was just another nightmare.

It looked like the magic induced nightmares were finally starting to release their hold on the poor child's mind, at least for now. Well, if anything, Bill was sure he was going to create a world for Dipper that was just as bad as the worst nightmares his feeble mind would come up with. He had already removed his parents from the world and he still had oh so many wonderful plans and surprises left waiting.

 _Before all of this is over, you will submit yourself to my will, Pine Tree_ , Bill mused, wanting to see the boy look at him in utter defeat with all of his fire extinguished for good. _Everything you have is mine. And you'll admit that from your own volition._

It had been quite amusing to listen to Dipper's whispers as he slept, how he had kept whispering his family's names and occasionally calling for mom like a scared child despite being a teenager on the verge of early adulthood.

“Bill...please no,” Dipper whispered and begged quietly as the drug's effect started to loosen its hold over his body and mind. He was slowly but surely waking up, drifting between dreams and reality. His eye lids felt extremely heavy and he tried to look around even though the bright sun hurt his eyes.

The nightmare entity gave a sideways look at Dipper and could clearly see that the teen's body was having trouble deciding whether he was awake or not.

Suddenly the boy snapped awake with a jolt and the blond man looked at him a tad surprised and baffled, only to grin in truly frightening manner when he saw a brief look of relief wash over Dipper's face.

 _Heh, no doubt he woke up thinking that yesterday was all a bad dream and nothing more, that his stupid and idiotic parents are still alive and well,_ Bill mused to himself, loving the sight of how that relief and hope withered and died the moment Dipper turned his head slightly to the side to see Bill sitting next to him.

It seemed like the worst nightmare he had seen was in fact real.

“Oh Pine Tree, how thoughtful of you, you woke up just the perfect time,” Cipher said with a creepy and malicious grin as they approached the tall building that stood near the edge of the dense forest. “You were dreaming of me, weren't you? Were they nice dreams?” the demon mocked and laughed the boy who looked pale and terrified. Had his psyche suffered too much from the nightmares? Dipper ad hard time even looking at him and he was trembling.

Oh how he wished he could dig into his prisoner's mind and see what kind of horrors he had witnessed.

It took a moment from Dipper to realize just where he had been taken to, but when he finally recognized the area and the buildings, a look of disbelief, confusion and dread filled his hazy eyes.

In the distance loomed Mystery Shack, or more precisely what was left of it. The name sign had fallen completely off the building, but he recognized the wooden house instantly even in his drugged, half conscious state. It seemed like Bill had really taken him to Gravity Fall...back to where this had all started. The teen could barely breathe as they drove in to the yard and he could feel something coil around his chest and heart, suffocating him and making him feel anxious.

The building that stood before him was no longer the same, cozy and mysterious tourist trap he had fallen in love with. Without Grunkle Stan, Ford, Mabel, Soos, Wendy and the rest it was just an empty and soulless husk of a building. As Dipper blinked and focused his sight, he saw just how terrible state the wooden building had fallen into during the two years.

The roof that was covered in leaves was missing a couple of tiles and the windows were so dirty that it was hard to see through them. Not only was the house in terrible state, but the yard was abhorrent as well with nature having started to take over it.

Over all Mystery Shack now looked more like a ghost house rather than something meant for living. Dipper wasn't sure if it was because of the drug or something else, but to him the whole building looked slightly crooked. The once beautiful and unique house had been abandoned and left to rot and fall apart without any maintenance. Dipper felt anxiety grip his heart and he dreaded to see what the Mystery Shack looked from the inside. It lacked all warmth it had once possessed and was now more fit for demolish rather than renovation.

Bill grinned maliciously when he saw the horrified expression on his captive's face. He had made Mystery Shack into his own home and base, but had not bothered to take care of the building; mainly because he didn't know how to, but also because he couldn't care less. In the end, he'd destroy it completely anyways along with everything else Dipper held dear.

But before that, there was still so much planning and work to do. For now, the tourist trap was going be Dipper's prison.

“Aren't you happy? Wasn't I kind to bring you all the way back to Gravity Falls, the town you so adored to explore with your dear sister,” the demon almost laughed when he saw Dipper finally recognize the place and panic in his drugged state. “You and I are going to stay here for a while, Pine Tree. I hope you enjoy your fleeting time in this world,” he continued with a sinister chuckle.

Bill smiled at the boy when the kid turned his hazy eyes towards him. Despite being awaken, Dipper was clearly fighting to maintain his consciousness, not wanting to fall asleep again and to be tormented by those terrifying nightmares. Yet, the reality wasn't that much better.

“Stay with me now, Pine Tree. You should recover completely in couple of hours or so,” the demon laughed softly.

However the moment Bill parked the car in front of the house and turned off the engine, he saw another car approaching the location from the rear mirror. A police car non the less. The golden haired man glanced at his prisoner who also had noticed the uninvited guest and looked actually hopeful.

For a brief moment, Bill's golden eyes fixated on Dipper's hazy ones and the young man couldn't help but chuckle in cruel manner. It was so cute to see his prisoner think he had hope. The look in his slightly narrowed eyes said, “say a word and you will be very sorry.”

“Hmh,” the demon let out when he saw none other than Sheriff Blubs sitting in the driver's seat, surprisingly without deputy Durland. It was rare to see Sheriff without Durland accompanying him. Perhaps the younger officer had other duties to attend to. Bill looked more vexed than anxious or worried about the intruder.

“Ugh, I hate this town so much, and every one living in it,” Bill muttered quietly as he glanced down at his bloody clothes. Dipper watched how Bill took off his coat, gloves and vest, tossing them onto the backseat to get them out of sight. He then rolled the slightly bloody sleeves of his black dress-shirt up to mid arm so that there was no visible blood left on his clothes.

“You, stay quiet, or I'll have you screaming in agony before the night,” Bill said as he opened the door and got out of the car to greet the sheriff. Dipper knew Bill's words weren't empty threats. The autumn air felt brisk and the wind was becoming more biting each passing day as the winter approached. Wind blew through the area, scattering red and yellow leaves everywhere.

Bill walked all relaxed around the car to Dipper's side, opening the door before leaning against the car, hands on the bonnet as they waited for the Sheriff. The teen watched how the demon waited patiently for the police to park nearby and sheriff Blubs to get out. The kind, albeit a bit naive police officer had a friendly smile on his face and approached Cipher who waved his hand as a greeting.

“Sheriff Blubs, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Bill greeted the Sheriff, the expression and tone warm and disarming, even though Dipper knew them to be forced and fake. Behind that mask lied probably a sinister smile and venomous tone.

“Cipher! It is good to see you again, you really should inform us better. You disappeared so quickly and without a word that the locals got all worried for you. Lazy Susan was about call a search party for you.”

Bill could feel his eye and corner of mouth starting to twitch as he tried to keep the pleasant smile on his face. He let out a small, force laugh.

Dipper was confused. How could Sheriff Blubs not recognize the demon? Sure he was human now, but Bill's appearance gave plenty of hints of his true nature! Even his voice and name were the same. Had Cipher really used the memory erasing gun so much that none of the villagers could recognize him? That was....terrifying.

 

“Oh my apologies, I had business to take care off in the west,” the demon replied and Blubs did seem rather amused. “I always forget how closely nit the small towns are. Truly, I'm taken by everyone's kindness,” he continued and Dipper felt like Bill had hard time managing to say all the pleasantries with straight face.

“Well the folks in the town got all concerned for your health. We all know that you take long trips into the woods every now and then and with the fall approaching some animals can get a bit agitated,” Blubs explained with a chuckle. “Can you believe it, some even wondered if you'd actually been eaten by wolves.”

The two of them shared a laugh, but to Dipper Bill's laughter sounded almost painfully forced, as if it took everything from him to keep the pleasant mask on.

“Oh that is just hilarious, but I assure you Sheriff, I'm the most dangerous thing around here!” Cipher said all jokingly, but underneath his tone was malicious intent that unfortunately went unnoticed by the Sheriff. His words held truth to them.

“West you say? California?” the sheriff inquired and the demon nodded.

“I had to pick up my friend here and bring him to Gravity Falls to catch some fresh air,” Cipher explained and tapped the roof of the car with his fingers.

Dipper could feel his heart start to race as the Sheriff took a good long look at him. Surely Bill would be caught now. There was no way Blubs wouldn't recognize him.

“Sheriff..” Dipper whispered weakly, hoping that the officer would realize what was going on, but instead of recognizing him, all Sheriff Blubs did was stare at him like a stranger. The realization that Blubs did not recognize him was terrifying and made Dipper feel ill and shaken to his core.

 _This is not real, it can't be,_ Dipper thought and he could feel his eye sight falter as he tried to understand what was going on. _I want to go home now...please. Take me away from Bill. I don't want to be here....please...I'm scared._

“Oh, a bit young, shouldn't he be in school?” Sheriff asked from Bill who gave a disarming smile.

“Dipper here is my...family friend's grand nephew. His parents had to take a long surprise work trip overseas and I was gracious enough to bring him with me. Not an optimal solution but you know, these things happen.”  
“Oh I see,” Blubs said with a nod, believing Bill's half baked story without any questions. The sheriff had always been a bit naive, but this had to take the cake. “Does he transfer to Gravity Fall's school?”

  
“I'm afraid I will be home schooling him for a while, until he reunites with his family, and it might take a long time for that to happen.” Bill explained and grinned at Dipper in very malicious manner, but this went unnoticed by the officer. “Dipper here had a small nervous breakdown and he is in no condition to study in busy classrooms. He needs time to calm down and recover, am I correct, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, his tone and the look in his eyes warning and predatory.

The Pines could feel his whole body tremble as he looked up at Bill before managing to nod ever so slightly.

“Y...yeah, that's right,” he confirmed the demon's tale who didn't take his eyes off the boy.

 

“Well it is good that he has someone trustworthy to look after him. So you are from California, son?” Blubs asked, but Dipper who was scared to death and half paralyzed was only able to give another small nod. He trembled in fear and couldn't tear his gaze from Bill's golden eyes that were narrowed due to the wide sinister grin on his face that promised only pain and sorrow.

“He had to take some medicine to calm him down and help him get some sleep, so he is a bit out of it at the moment. But he should be back to his usual happy self in few hours when the medicine's effect has worn off. You can come question him a bit more then if you want,” Cipher said all jokingly.

“Now that is unfortunate, but I'm sure we will run into each other later,” Blubs said and didn't press the issue and merely nodded at the teen who was paralyzed by fear.

Dipper couldn't believe his ears and eyes. Sheriff Blubs and deputy Durland weren't the most productive upholders of law, but even they couldn't be this blind.

 _I have to be still dreaming,_ Dipper thought as he sat on his seat, too weak to move and too anxious and scared to get a word out. _This is just a nightmare and I will wake up soon in my own home with my mom and dad still alive. Mabel will be there along with my gruncles._

However, things weren't going to be ok anymore. They'd never be ok for him again.

“Would you like to come inside, Sheriff?” Bill asked pleasantly but seemed to wish nothing more than for the officer to scram.

 

“Heh, I'd love to but duty calls. Well good to have you back, Bill, see you around the town,” the friendly sheriff finally said and nodded one last time at Dipper who could feel cold sweat forming on his brow but the sheriff didn't seem to notice this at all. All he could do was stare weakly at the police officer with pleading eyes, wishing and praying that he'd remember who he was...but it seemed that the only god in the town was Bill and he was a malevolent one.

Only then did the teen realize that Bill had probably made the Sheriff forget about him as well. Just like he had made Soos forget everyone. A terrible thought crossed his mind, was anyone in the town able to recall the Pines family at all? That couldn't be possible.

“Thanks for the visit, as you can see things are alright here. I promise to give heads up when I'm gone for longer time next time. The people of this town are so kind and thoughtful,” Bill said in overly friendly manner, yet his tone was dripping with poison. Dipper could see the corner of Bill's mouth twitch as he tried to keep the friendly and forced expression, waving happily when the sheriff marched over to his car and drove off to return to the town.

When Blubs was finally gone and his car out of view, Bill's friendly expression dropped in an instant and was replaced by malicious and diabolical sneer as he glared at Dipper who was still fighting the effects of the drug Cipher had forced him to swallow the previous night.

“See? There is no one who can help you,” Bill whispered as he watched his captive who was so weak, terrified, completely defenseless and most importantly under his control.

“D..Don't touch me,” Dipper managed to whisper with tremendous effort when the older male reached out to feel his cheek and jaw, turning the boy's head from side to side to inspect him. His senses were heightened due to the paralyzing effect of the drug and Bill's touch felt absolutely repulsing. He had killed his parents...it was unforgivable and something he still couldn't accept. This had to be nightmare.

“Cute, do you actually think you have any say in this? Is the drug making you delirious or are you just stupid?”

Cipher looked scary and borderline sadistic as he leaned downwards, his unnaturally golden eyes fixated on Dipper's hazy ones, the grin on his face wider than ever. He truly looked like a demon. “No one can save you from me, so better just submit to me now. It will be so much easier for you...I might even be kind to you every now and then.”

To Dipper it felt like his body was underneath water and weighted down with heavy rocks. Each movement felt clumsy, heavy and draining, making it hard to move or even talk properly. It was almost as if his body was still waking up from the slumber. He was getting the control back slowly but surely...but not fast enough.

“Now Pine Tree, shall we enter my kingdom?” Bill finally asked with a small smile and dreamy look on his face as he slowly turned his head towards the Mystery Shack that awaited them near the edge of the forest. Even though it was day, rain clouds darkened the skies, as if foreboding the terrible fate that waited for Dipper.

 _I don't want to_ , Dipper thought. _I want to go home, back to Mabel._ Yet...with his parents dead, there was no home to return to. His life had been turned upside down by the demon he had let live his life. Dipper could only blame himself for this. He had brought this hell upon himself by letting Bill remain.

“I...I can't go there,” Dipper finally whispered, telling Bill that he didn't want to go even if he could move. His body felt so weak and useless and he feared that it would remain so even though Cipher had said that the effect would fade away within few hours.

“Heh, what does it feel like to wallow in misery and hopelessness?” Bill purred as he turned his attention back to his prisoner who refused, or simply couldn't move. “To know that there is no hope for you?” he continued inquiring and grabbed Dipper's arm into vice like grip.

The Pines boy tried to yank his arm away but in his weakened state he was no match to Bill.

 

The blond and black haired man's expression turned smug and cold when he took a firm hold of Dipper and pulled him out of the car despite the teen's weak protests. However, it became instantly clear that the teen's legs didn't quite carry him yet when he fell against Cipher who was quick to catch and support him.

“Hmmm? Can't quite walk yet Pine Tree?” the demon mocked Dipper who looked ashamed and disgusted by how his parent's murderer had to support him like this. “It is just so cute to see your legs go all weak in my presence. I truly feel flattered.”

With loud cackle, Bill lifted the embarrassed and frustrated teen up onto his arms like some newly wed bride. For being such a thin and lanky young man, the demon was surprisingly strong, probably having retained some of his otherworldly attributes and skills. Cipher slammed the car door shut with his foot and carried Dipper towards the crooked building that was on the verge of collapsing.

The blond's face twisted into a mocking sneer when Dipper rested his head against his shoulder and tried not to look at the dark house. The momentarily paralyzed teen clearly didn't want to enter what remained of Mystery Shack because he still had the warm memories of that summer. Those precious memories would be corrupted the moment he saw what kind of a hell hole the Mystery Shack had become under Bill's rule.

 _I don't want to go inside. Stanley, Stanford, Mabel....anyone...help m_ e, Dipper thought and he had hard time remembering to breathe in and out. His heart was racing and he started to feel slightly lightheaded once more. He was powerless to do anything and it felt like he was trapped inside his drugged body. It was terrifying experience.

As the demon carried him inside the moldy and cold house, the teen half expected his parents, sister and great uncles along with Wendy and Soos to appear yelling “surprise!” and tell him that this all had been a bad joke, but he instantly realized how stupid and childish that idea was when he saw what the Mystery Shack had become. There was nothing but cruel reality to greet him.

He was all alone with Bill and there was no one to help him. He was going to meet a terrible end for sure.

 

“No...” the teen let out when they entered through the main door into the hallway.

Dipper wanted to cry as he saw the condition the Mystery Shack had fallen into. There were cobwebs everywhere and all surfaces were covered in thick layer of dust and damp spots. The wooden blanks beneath Bill's dress shoes creaked as he walked through the house, the sound reminding Dipper of a horror movie. The air felt damp and stagnant and wallpapers were on the verge of falling off the walls. The electricity had probably been cut more than a year ago and he could only wonder if water was still running.

The doomed boy didn't even notice how he was tightening his hold onto Bill every passing moment as the nightmare demon carried him through the rooms, but Bill certainly did and loved it.

“Isn't this what you wanted, Pine Tree? To return to Gravity Falls and this place you so love?” Bill asked in malicious tone, clearly enjoying how the boy held onto him in such a desperate manner as he showed him what had become of the house that had meant so much to him.

 _This isn't real, this can't be Mystery Shack. It just can't,_ Dipper thought hopelessly, but didn't say anything, however the desperate, hopeless and defeated look in his eyes was enough to tell Bill just what he was thinking.

“This place belongs to me now Pine Tree...along with the town and all of its inhabitants” the sinister demon laughed and gave his prisoner a mocking glare.”And you are my most priced possession. Don't you feel honored?” Cipher cackled and held the boy close, nuzzling his head slightly. “Now, shall I show you where you will be staying Pine Tree? I'm sure you'll love it. I've prepared it just for you.”

Dipper was still in shock from everything that had happened to him and his whole body trembled. He managed to shake his head slightly, but Cipher merely let an amused chuckle and headed up the stairs into the room he and Mabel had stayed in during the summer, and just like the rest of the house, the room was creepy, cold, damp and covered in a hefty layer of dust. The triangle shaped window was still there and looked even more eerie and foreboding now that the building had fallen into decay.

“Here, isn't this just perfect Pine Tree? You get to stay in your and Shooting Star's old room again,” Cipher cackled when he dropped the drugged and weak boy ungracefully onto the cold damp floor.

Dipper whimpered and curled up slightly in pain before trying to crawl away from Cipher and get some distance between him and the demon, even if there was no where to run or escape to. Bill's golden eyes followed his every movement and he was clearly enjoying his prisoner's futile attempts to save himself.

However, the sudden and panicked movements left Dipper quickly completely exhausted and powerless, leaving him lying on the dusty, damp and cold wooden planks gasping for air.

“You know, watching you crawl on the floor is quite satisfying Pine Tree,” Bill cackled as he walked over to the bed Dipper had used during the summer, only to sit down on it to observe his little prisoner who was fighting the effects of that vile magical drug that had left him so delightfully defenseless. The blond demon crossed his long slender leg over the other and rested his chin onto his hand as he enjoyed the sight of the weak, anxious and scared teen trying to get away from him and seek some safety when there was none to be found.

“You know, that's how you are supposed to be,” Bill mused, his slightly glowing golden eyes narrowed due to the nasty and sadistic expression on his face, “weak, defenseless and completely under my control.”

Dipper grit his teeth, trying to fight the warm tears that forced their way into his eyes. He had wept in the car and it still hurt so bad to recall his mother and father who now were dead because of Bill, and because of him. They had done nothing bad to Bill and had not deserved such a fate. They had died without even knowing why.

 _They can't be gone, they just can't._ Large and warm tears rolled down his face and he tried to keep a sob down.

He was scared, hungry and thirsty, and wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry his heart out. What really made him feel powerless was the fact that he couldn't even control his own body that felt so heavy. Heck, he didn't even have strength to wipe his tears away properly.

 

For a moment, Bill merely sat there watching Dipper in silence, cherishing and enjoying every little whimper and sob the teen let out. Cipher was clearly harboring malicious thoughts towards the teen, and to his terror, the demon pulled out a sharp looking scalpel, probably one of Ford's old research tools, and twirled it in his long and dexterous fingers absentmindedly. Dipper's eyes were fixated on the sharp dissection tool and he swallowed, not liking the terrifying look in Bill's eyes one bit. Cold sweat formed on his brow as he looked at Bill. It almost felt like the young man was tempted to gut him right there and then.

“Maybe I should cut a tendon in your leg to keep you that way?” the demon asked and to Dipper's terror, it didn't sound like he was joking. “Forcing you to rely on me might be fun, don't you think?”

Dipper didn't dare to reply which only made Bill chuckle and shake his head slightly.

“I will enjoy watching you slowly descent into despair and madness, Pine Tree...I will take everything from you,” the blond man purred and got up before walking over to Dipper and towering over him and intimidating manner.

“S...stay away from me,” Dipper managed to finally whisper, his voice almost breaking. “Go away.”

The Pines boy lifted his head up slightly to look up into Bills' beautiful yet eerie golden eyes as the demon looked down at him. There was no room for doubt about who was in control. Dipper's life was in Cipher's hands and the demon could easily snuff out his flame.

The teen let out a pained whimper when the tall lanky young man stepped onto the back of his hand, applying pressure there to make him squirm in discomfort. The small smile that played on the blonde's lips was quite smug and he was clearly enjoying his discomfort.

“You will soon realize that you are all alone and that everyone around you will meet a miserable end,” Cipher whispered and it felt like the room was getting darker by the second. “I'm the only one who will remain in your life and keep you company.”

 

Dipper grit his teeth in pain and shivered on the floor as the lanky young man dug the sole of his shoe painfuly into his flesh. It would leave a bruise. The wooden planks beneath him were so cold and it was clear that the house had not been heated in years.

“What are you planning Bill?” Dipper asked weakly and all scared. He swallowed slightly in relief when the demon finally took his foot off his hand and instead knelt down before him, showing the sharp scalpel to Dipper with a small creepy smile on his handsome face.

“Many, many things, Pine Tree, but all in good time,” Bill replied softly and felt the boy's cheek with his hand, his thumb catching few large and warm tears. “I rather not spoil the surprise. IT won't be too long, but we have so many things to experience before the end,” he continued and put the dissection tool away, only to take hold of Dipper's face with both hands to force the teen to look into his eyes that reflected the possessive and dark need he felt.  
“I'm going to cherish every moment with you, Pine Tree. There are so many possibilities that I can't quite decide what to do with you, but I promise you one thing Pine Tree....you and this town are going to be sorry,” Bill promised darkly, before finally releasing his hold on Dipper's face. “I will watch you slowly break down and accept that there is no hope for you, that death awaits everyone who tries to help you.”

Dipper dug his nails into to the floor and averted his gaze, not wanting to look at Bill whose face had twisted into an insane and malicious grin. He ruffled Dipper's brown hair and the boy was too weak to stop him.

“I'd love to play with you some more, but I rather have you recover first. No fun tormenting you if you aren't fully aware of everything I do to your body and mind,” the demon continued and caressed the boy's cheek, showing the sick and twisted affection he had started to feel.

“No one will take you from me. I won't let them,” he whispered and all Dipper could do was tremble on the dusty floor and listen to Cipher's venomous words. “You are mine till the world ends.”

“Go.to.hell.Bill,” Dipper managed to hiss at the demon who merely smiled at him dreamily and patted his cheek. “Do....do you think Ford won't find us? He'll end you...you will pay for what you did to my mom and dad!” Dipper snapped even though he was crying. He clenched his hands into fists and sobbed slightly. “You won't get away with this. I won't let you.”

“Oh, that would be fun, to kill good ol' Sixer right in front of you,” Bill laughed softly, adoring his little captive whose parents he had so brutally murdered. “You won't let me? I welcome you to try Pine Tree...it will be fun to see you finally break,” the demon whispered and caressed the crying boy's back with a sick and twisted smile on his lips, as if comforting him.

After what had felt like and eternity to the weakened boy, Bill pulled his hand away and stood up slowly. Dipper held his breath as the blond young man turned around and walked over to the wooden door.

Bill stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder before grinning maliciously.

“Welcome home Sapling.”

With that, Cipher left and slammed the door shut. The last thing Dipper heard before the silence fell over the room was the sickening sound of lock activating.

He truly was Bill's prisoner now.

 

 

 


	5. Escape

 

“Mabel, I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry you have to return to an empty home and see mom and dad's bodies,” Dipper whispered hopelessly as he lied on the cold and damp wooden floor, listening to every small noise and creak that got carried through the wooden structures of the building. The still somewhat paralyzed teen swallowed and closed his eyes when he heard Bill's heavy footsteps echoed forebodingly as he moved from room to room inside the quickly decaying house. It truly felt like he was in a horror movie, a victim trapped in some locked room, waiting for the killer to come for him. 

_Who am I kidding, that's exactly what I am_ , Dipper thought bitterly, knowing very well that Bill would return to play with him once the drug's effect had completely faded. The Pines boy held his breath and could feel his heart beat against his chest when he heard Bill come up the stairs, his foot steps getting louder with each step, but when he heard Bill continue his way up to the attic, he let out a sigh of relief.

_I wonder how much time has passed since he threw me in here,_ the teen wondered. Without a clock it was hard to tell the passage of time and only the sun outside gave some indication of its passage. The light of the late autumn sun was gradually fading away and Dipper could see rain clouds gathering over the horizon. The night would be cold and wet.

The shivering teen let out a small sniffle and a sob as he dug his fingernails slightly into the damp surface of the floorboards. He felt cold, utterly miserable and emotionally devastated. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't banish the images of his dead parents from his mind. The sight of his dad's bleeding head and mother's body with countless stab marks had permanently seared into Dipper's mind along with the sight of Bill approaching him with a sadistic, hungry and possessive look in those golden eyes of his. 

_I miss them so much. Why can't this be just some nightmare? I'd give anything for it to be one,_ Dipper thought and it was clear the anxiety and sorrow had made permanent homes in his soul. Only now that he was all alone with his thoughts did Dipper come to fully accept the facts and reality. His parents... they had to hate him along with Mabel since this was all his fault. How could they not hate him? He was the very reason they were dead! Where ever his parents were...if they were anywhere, they had to loathe him.

Just a while ago he had been so determine and focused, directing all of his hate and rage towards Cipher, but now that he was all-alone with only his thoughts to keep him company...Dipper felt nothing but misery, fear and anxiety. Was it crazy that he almost wished that Bill was there so that he wouldn't have to be alone with these thoughts that were like poison to his soul. 

Much to the Pines boy's relief, the drug's effect started to fade away and the control started to gradually return to him, just in time before his imagination started to become too vivid to his liking. 

_What should I do? ...What_ _**can** _ _I do?_ Dipper thought as he got up into a sitting position and for a moment just looked around the room with puffy red eyes. He felt like a wreck and was ashamed for letting his adversary see him like this; so weak and vulnerable. 

_How could I have been so stupid to think Bill wouldn't be able to hurt anyone a_ s _a human,_ Dipper thought bitterly, hating himself and his naive 13-year old self for deciding to give the demon a second chance by not telling about him to anyone. If he had told Ford, this hellish nightmare would never have come to pass.  _Maybe he can't destroy our world, but he certainly destroyed mine._ Worst thing was, that he knew Bill wasn't done with destroying his life, far from it.

Dipper trembled as he lifted his gaze to look up at the triangle shaped window that reminded him of Bill. The demon was ever present and watching...enjoying and feeding off his victim's misery. 

Dipper could feel the fear and anxiety tighten their grip on his heart when he heard Bill's foot steps above him. He could only guess what horrors the handsome demon was planning for him.

“I want to go home,” the teen sobbed even though there was no home where he could return. The Pines boy hugged his legs, burying his face against his knees as the self-loathing and accusations started to overwhelm his mind once more. 

“Mabel, please don't hate me, I beg of you...I can face what ever horrors Bill has in store for me as long as you are ok and don't loathe me. I deserve this.”

 

* * *

 

A somewhat vexed expression crossed Bill's handsome face as he stared at his reflection in a tarnished old mirror, turning his head from side to side as he inspected his quite otherworldly and exotic features. The golden hair and eyes had raised many questions in the town, but he had merely told them to be a result some rare mutation. Much to his relief the majority of the hapless villagers had believed his poor explanation without any further questions, thus leaving him in peace he yearned for. The demon scoffed quietly and fixed a straw of his golden hair off his face before sneering at his reflection, showing the slightly darker corner teeth.

“I hate this useless form, I can't get used to the human look no matter what,” Cipher muttered quietly at his mirror image before shaking his head and stepping away from his reflection. Well, to be honest it was a half-truth. As much as he disliked the vulnerable human form, he had come to enjoy some aspects of it, some that he had discovered only recently, such as intimacy and touch. Even if was a mere mortal body, it was still a physical form the demon had wanted and desired for so long. 

_I've endured this for two long years, all I need to do is endure this hell for few more weeks,_ Bill thought angrily.  _Soon I can return home with Pine Tree and witnessing him gaze at his new nightmarish home will be so sweet. I will make him weep in despair._

Over the two years Cipher had learned that his powers were sealed inside the nightmare realm and were waiting for his return.... and the best thing was that he now knew how to get back home. He had spent days and nights studying and researching, sleeping and visiting the town only when he absolutely had to. Now all preparations were almost completed and he could take his beloved pet with him as well.

Cipher's gaze drifted from the tarnished mirror to a large table that was pushed against the wall. On the damp surface lied heaps of books, scrolls, notebooks, pens, papers etc.; all needed for his plan. He moved over the table and let his fingers glide on the surface of a map he had drawn; an over lay to be placed over a map Gravity Falls to show spots of power. They were all scattered across the region, some in town, and some deep inside the woods.

The nightmare demon flexed his shoulders slightly and glanced at the window. The day was turning darker each passing moment and he still had plenty of things to do. He still had a couple more hours before it would get too dark to move safely around the forest. 

 

“What to do, what to do,” Bill pondered quietly as he paced around the attic room for a bit, trying to furiously decide what he should do first and what to prioritize. 

His golden eyes wandered to an ink-bottle that rested on the table, one meant for Pine Tree. He'd need to prepare the teen for his inevitable one-way trip to nightmare realm, but it would have to wait until he had regained his full strength

“I'm going to cherish his screams when I finally put my mark on him,” Bill muttered as he opened his golden vest and started to take off his clothes. Cipher barely felt the cold air kiss his skin as he changed into something more fitting for a small towner. He had put on his best clothes just for Pine Tree, but the people of Gravity Falls would give him strange looks and start asking questions if he started strolling around the woods and the town in his golden tail coat.

When he was done, the demon looked at the dusty mirror once more. The outfit composed of skinny jeans, black t-shirt, flannel shirt and black and white sneakers looked like something someone from his age group would wear. 

“This is good enough,” the demon muttered and grabbed his messenger bag before heading downstairs. 

On his way to the ground floor, Bill stopped when he passed the door to Dipper's prison room. The key inside his pocket suddenly felt hot and heavy, making him want to just pull it out and unlock the door so that he could play with Pine Tree some more. He had already pushed the boy into a living nightmare, but there was still so much damage to be done. Bill wanted so badly to see the look in Dipper's eyes when he'd realize that he was going to lose everything dear to him.

The demon pushed his hand inside his pocket to feel the cold key with his finger tips, only to turn around and rest his back against the wall.

_Such a foolish kid, he has no idea what awaits him,_ the demon thought as he slided down to sit on the cold wooden floor. He rested one slender arm onto his knee and closed his golden eyes to just listen to all the small noises his scared little prisoner made inside the room. He could almost taste the boy's fear and desperation, his desire to see his sister and friends again.

_I wish I could have killed Shooting Star as well_ , Bill thought with a small vexed smile on his face. He had wanted to kill Pine Tree's whole family but the girl had eluded his grasp by a twist of fate. It was his one regret…and possibly a hindrance in his plan to make the boy submit to him. But, there was still a good chance good old Sixer would come and hunt them down and he'd welcome it.

_Oh Pine Tree, I will have you beg for me to spare your Great Uncle's life,_ the cruel demon laughed inside his mind. _I'm the only one he'll have._

The thought of just having the completely broken and weeping teen in his embrace made Bill feel butterflies in his stomach. It was a feeling he couldn't quite get used to, yet it made him giddy and excited for the days to come.

 

Bill felt odd and slightly confused due to all these human feelings he was experiencing . The boy was his now and he couldn't describe his emotions fully with words. He felt warm, excited and incredibly possessive of the boy. He wanted to just keep Dipper trapped and isolated from the rest of the world and be the only one he had, the center of the boy's world. 

_I will have you crawling on the floor, looking up at me with pleading and desperate look in your eyes, Pine Tree,_ the demon pondered and lost himself for a moment in a pleasant daydream. _You will beg me not to go so that you wouldn't have to be all alone._

He'd take everything from Dipper until his soul lied bare before him, broken and hopeless...ready for Bill to just sink his claws in and rip apart. That of course had been the initial plan along with killing Pine Tree in some horrible manner, but now he wanted so much more. He'd show the boy a hint of kindness, offering Pine Tree company and cold comfort in return for giving himself fully to him. It would be hard, but he could do it. The boy was in vulnerable state and all he needed was to push him a bit harder to have his mind shatter.

 

_I can make him feel so lonely that he chooses me because he has no other options. I am demon to him now,_ Bill thought, wanting to hold Dipper close and feel the intimacy he had so started to enjoy. The demon opened his golden eyes and looked a bit frustrated. He just couldn’t understand his own feelings and emotions. He wanted the boy to suffer, yes, to lock him into a void and let him weep in isolation all alone...but he also wanted to hold him close and soothe his pain.

“You are mine and nothing in this world can change that now,” Bill whispered quietly before getting up and re heading for the first floor and the door that led outside.

“You will be my pet and love me unconditionally no matter what I do to you, no matter how much pain I cause to you. That is your punishment, Pine Tree,” the demon hissed with a sadistic and truly hideous expression on his face.

There was no sweeter revenge than this.

 

* * *

 

Dipper swallowed when he heard the front door open and close with a slam which could only mean that Bill had left the Mystery Shack for a time being, leaving him all alone. The teen stood up with shaky legs and moved over to the triangle shaped window to see where the blond man would be heading. 

He ducked his head a bit when he saw Bill stop and glance up at his window, only to scoff and continue strolling towards the forest's edge. Dipper couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Bill in normal clothing. If it wasn't for his golden eyes and hair, he would have passed for a normal human being.

_A normal human who just happens to be a total homicidal psychopath,_ Dipper thought and started to fear for the safety of the villagers. He really wanted to believe Bill when he had said that he had not hurt anyone, but trusting the demon's word would be insane and only leave him hurt, especially since everyone had stopped having contact with him and Mabel. 

_Has Bill hurt Wendy and the rest of our friends? C...could it be that Grenda, Candy and Wendy stopped contacting us because they are dead? I want to believe what Bill told me inside the car but...I..._

The thought kept eating at Dipper's mind and soul, making him almost hyperventilate due to the anxiety that kept building inside him.

_I need to see my friends, I just have to, no matter what Bill does to me._

 

He could feel his heart beat against his chest as he watched the demon walk up to a tree and inspect it for a moment before pulling out a small knife from his messenger bag, carving a strange triangle shaped rune onto the bark. When he was finished, he pulled out a small vial and brush, painting over the sigil with something black or dark red. He had never seen a rune like that before in any of Ford's journals and his fears got worse when the demon took the knife and made a long cut into his palm. 

The demon didn't even flinch when that sharp stainless steel blade cut into his skin and drew blood, if anything, he seemed almost...ecstatic about the sensation and just stared at the blood that poured out with a creepy smile on his face, his golden eyes wide and glowing.

Dipper gulped and could feel his heart race, fearing that Bill would find same enjoyment with doing that to him. He watched how the demon smeared his dark blood onto the strange rune he had carved into the birch tree with yellow leaves. The dark liquid dripped down the pale white bark and drained into the carving. For few seconds, Dipper could be sure that the blood rune glowed eerily before returning to normal.

When he was done, Bill wiped his hand into a hanker chief and wrapped it around his palm. He eyed his work for a moment before giving the Mystery Shack one last glance before heading into the dense woods surrounding the Mystery Shack. 

 

When the nightmare demon had disappeared into the woods, Dipper stood up and tried moving around the room. Much to the teen's relief, his body was his again, if feeling a bit stiff due to the time spent on the cold floor and having not moved for a half day. Only now did Dipper realize just how hungry and thirsty he was and he feared that Bill would make him beg for nourishment and water.

_I'm pretty sure Bill will do that to humiliate m_ e, Dipper thought all frustrated.

He tried to door in vain hope. Cipher had locked it tightly and no matter how hard he tried to pry it open, it wouldn't even budge. 

“I have to get out, if I can find someone in town who remembers me...maybe they could protect me from Bill,” Dipper muttered as he paced around the room, trying to furiously come up with some plan to get out of the demon's clutches.

_Wendy...Wendy has to remember me, and even if she has forgotten all about Bill and what he did, I'm sure I can jog her memory_ .  _After all, Grunkle Stanley did recall us all even though his memory got erased,_ he pondered and glanced at the window that was the only way out of the room. It was small but he could fit through it.

“I'm sorry great uncle Stanford, but I have to do this,” Dipper apologized as he grabbed a dusty book of the table and approached the window. He loathed to sabotage and destroy the house, but he had to escape Bill no matter what. Dipper took a deep breath and hurled the heavy book at the window and to his relief, it went crashing through, scattering pieces of glass everywhere. 

The teen  could feel the anxiety grip his heart as he approached the window and much his disgust, he did consider just staying so that Bill wouldn't have any reason to punish him, but he banished those destructive thoughts quickly.

“Is he already getting a hold of my mind?” Dipper pondered, not wanting to let Bill get a hold of his mind. If he let the demon do that, he'd lose. “I need to make him pay for what he did to mom and dad....no matter what. I will not let him have me...”

He got onto a table and kicked more of the glass off to make a proper exit. The drop was pretty high from the second floor, but with little bit of climbing he would make it down without any harm. Dipper hissed a bit when the glass still attached to the window frame cut into his hands and arms, but he endured it, knowing that it would be little compared to the pain Bill would put him through. 

The cold autumn wind greeted him outside and chilled him down to the core. Should he end up locked inside the room again, it would be even less pleasant to stay in. 

_Better not let Bill catch me then,_ Dipper thought, having no interest in spending any more time inside the room. The nights were really cold and the idea of lying on the wooden floor with a broken window was extremely unpleasant.

After a bit of climbing downwards he dropped down. It felt like his heart was about to burst through his chest and he expected the handsome demon to appear any moment and grab him before sinking that sharp scalpel into his gut, killing him despite his promise to keep him alive. 

“I need to find Wendy and make sure she is ok before Bill returns,” Dipper muttered and started running towards the town as fast as he could. 

_I will not become his puppet ever again._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter since the next one will be a mammoth. My English is so rusty that my hair just goes grey. I repeat stuff way too much in all chapters.


	6. Wendy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda feel bad for the gnomes in this chapter...and Dipper of course. Bill, Bill is doing fine though.

Bill yawned loudly and stretched his arms a bit as he made his way through the dense and dark forest, heading back towards the Mystery Shack to see how Dipper was doing. Tall pine and fir trees surrounded him and the forest floor was covered in ferns and other small plants, yet he could easily spot small paths and trails that guided him through the gloomy woods.

 _Looks like the forest is still quite lively,_ the golden haired young man thought all amused when he noticed small marks left by the inhabitants of the forest, most of them warnings and guides.

 _My, are they really leaving warnings about me passing through this area? How cute,_ the golden demon laughed in his mind.

As he made his way through the woods, Bill's gaze drifted from tree to tree to see if there were any potential spots he could leave his blood rune on. After choosing a perfect candidate, Bill carved his fourth mark of the day and painted it red with his own blood. Once his life essence had drained into the marks and empowered the rune, the demon put away his knife and re bandaged his hand with a piece of cloth.

One thing he was very glad about was the fact that he had retained his regeneration ability, even if it was weak. It made cutting into his arm to draw blood much more easier. A wound that would take a week to heal for a normal human was gone in a day, albeit he didn't know if it would work if he happened to lose an eye. he didn't really have interest in finding out.

 _I should be done for today,_ Bill thought all bored as he stared at his hand for a moment. The pain was already fading away, how very dull. _Soon enough there will be enough marks around the town to tap fully into the natural weirdness of this damned place and set my plans in motion. I will go home with Pine Tree and return some day to set this world aflame with weirdness and nightmares,_ the demon promised himself and wished he could already resume his normal form, even if he was definitely going to visit the human appearance every now and then to mess with Pine Tree.

Bill checked his wrist watch and realized that he had spent wandering around the woods longer than he had anticipated.

“Tsk, Pine tree must have recovered fully by now...better not let him remain without suffering too long,” Bill laughed all amused and started heading back towards Mystery Shack with swift steps. “He might grow his backbone some more if I am not there to insult and remind him how miserable and pathetic he is, the demon added with a chuckle, knowing very well that it would take time to tame the headstrong boy. But, it would be all the more sweeter and satisfying once he'd finally break him. He so wanted to have the boy hug him desperately, seeking desperately comfort from the terrifying demon who was the source of his pain, but also the only one who could soothe it.

 _I'm almost done with my work and there are still few more weeks left till the dead line. All I need to do is place a couple more runes around the town and I'm set,_ Bill pondered as he climbed over a hollow tree trunk. _Soon_ _I can just sit back and spent my time breaking that boy's mind layer by layer until he is mine_.

The nightmare demon couldn't help but grin in insane manner as he thought of all the wonderful things he was going to put the boy through.

 _Oh how I wish Sixer would appear and attempt saving his moronic nephew. Killing him in front of Pine Tree's eyes would be such a rush,_ Bill mused and was brought from his daydream when he came across a tall apple tree growing in a small clearing. The fruit were ripe and most of them had already fallen onto the soft green grass beneath the branches. The nights were turning colder each passing day and the old tree had already lost most of its leaves.

The demon walked up to the tree and inspected it, only to find it unsuitable for a mark since no ley lines ran underneath its roots.

Bill reached down to pick up a beautiful green apple and bit into it, his expression changing a bit when he found it to be incredibly sour, yet managed to swallow it down.

“Heh, perfect treat for Pine Tree,” the lanky young man laughed and stuffed his bag with a couple of larger apples. He was amazed how something so beautiful and delicious looking could taste so bitter.

 _Oh I simply can't decide what to do with him when we go back to my realm. Should I possess him again? Throw him into a gilded cage and then into void to be broken from isolation? Or maybe I should put him inside a bubble to dream pleasant dreams until he forgets all about his family._ The mere idea of holding a blue orb with the boy's pine tree mark on it in his hand felt intoxicating. It would be his most treasured possession. He wanted to hold total control over the boy's feeble mind and have Dipper love him despite everything he did to him.

_I want to have him look at me with blind love and devotion._

However, Bill froze and was pulled back from his thoughts when he heard rustling sound coming from his side. He turned his head and his golden eyes narrowed dangerously when he spotted a couple of gnomes standing next to tall and ancient maple tree. They stared at him with hatred and distaste in their eyes.

“Well, well, well, what have we here? Surely you know what happened to the last gnomes who dared to approach me?” the demon inquired in venomous tone and the look in his narrowed golden eyes was sadistic and mocking. It was clear that he despised every human and creature in the town and in its surrounding forest.

He turned to face the small men with red cap, wanting to see if they actually had the spine to do something about his presence.

“Am I some shoddy tourist attraction to you?” he asked again when the gnomes didn't reply to him and merely stood there, seething in rage.

While no one in the town remembered him, he had not bothered to wipe away the memories of the forest's many inhabitants. If anything, he wanted to make sure none of the gnomes, pixies, unicorns and other pathetic creatures forgot about him....he was their nightmare.

Just because he hadn't killed any humans in the town of Gravity Falls, didn't mean he hadn't killed at all.

“Murderer,” the gnomes snarled at Bill who merely gave them a mocking and demeaning stare, his golden eyes filled with insanity and murderous intent.

“Tell me something new. Now, are you going to do something about it or just gawk at me??” he asked coldly and sneered at the small gnomes, challenging them to act.

He knew that all of the magical creatures loathed him and harbored ill intentions towards him, after all he had killed and maimed too many of them to count.. The gnomes still mourned the day he had marched into their woods. Because they had not given Bill what he had wanted willingly, he had taken it by force.

“Get out of our forest demon!” the gnomes yelled and threw Bill with a rock, but he merely dodged it gracefully, returning the favor by hurling the once bitten apple at the gnome with precision, hitting him straight into face so that the poor thing's nose broke and his friends had to help him back into the woods.

Bill shook his head and his grin just widened when he heard the gnomes swear and curse him from the safety of the dense forest.

The golden haired young man leaned against the old apple tree and closed his eyes to just enjoy the quiet moment. A cold and biting wind blew through the area, hitting Bill hard and scattering the red and yellow leaves all around him, yet the demon didn't even shiver or flinch. When he opened his beautiful golden eyes and gazed at the grey skies, he saw heavy rain clouds gathering together. The night would be a cold and rain filled one.

“I will make this forest rot...” Bill whispered quietly before heading back towards the Mystery Shack to give the boy his snack before taking him out to the town. They'd have to restock for the days to come and he had no intentions of visiting the town more than he absolutely had to.

He could barely wait to see the devastated look on Dipper's face when he'd realize just what had happened to the inhabitants of the town. First though, he was going to enjoy teasing the boy a bit.

Bill hurried through the forest to the forgotten tourist trap and once inside, he ascended the stairs to the second floor, skipping some steps with his long legs.

“Hey Pine Tree, I found something for you to eat....” Bill said mirthfully as he opened the locked door, only to find the room empty with Pine Tree nowhere to be seen.

The lanky demon let out a small and confused “huh” and it took few seconds from him to understand that the boy was indeed gone.

His gaze quickly focused on the broken window that had been Dipper's escape route. There were still large shards of glass attached to the wooden frame, some of them painted partly red with the boy's blood. Bill just stood there all quiet for a moment before walking up to the shattered window to inspect it closer. He gathered some of the dark blood off the sharp glass with his graceful long fingers. It was still quite fresh.

 

Cipher tilted his head from side to side all ponderously before cleaning his fingers into the curtains. He looked thoughtful rather than scared, anxious or worried about the fact that Dipper had escaped him.

“What to do about my little escapee?“ Bill mulled over his choices as he turned around and headed slowly towards the door. However, just when he was about to exit the room, the emotionless look on his face turned truly sinister and his beautiful eyes gleamed with excitement, thrill and delight.

“You know Pine Tree, you are making this way too easy for me. I'm going to enjoy this immensely,” Bill whispered before cackling happily and heading downstairs like a child filled with mirth. He was going to have so much fun.

Each time Dipper disobeyed him, he'd be punished until he learned his lesson. The faster Pine Tree learned that his actions had consequences, the better. The boy was practically handing himself over to him on a silver platter.

 

* * *

 

Dipper's gaze darted everywhere as he ran through the streets of the Gravity Falls town center. His lungs burned with each breath he took and his legs ached with every step, yet he forced himself to continue running because stopping would mean certain capture.

 _Just keep running Dipper and find someone who can help and won't let Bill take you,_ he urged and motivated himself to run and seek shelter or hiding place from the demon.

His worst fears had proven to be true the moment he had entered the town and talked to none other than Toby Determined himself. Instead of recognizing him, he had treated him like a complete stranger, hurrying off when the scared and exhausted teen had started demanding answers, help and information.

The desperation and anxiety grew after each encounter with a villager. None, absolutely no one recognized him.

 

“No no no,” Dipper repeated hopelessly and was on the verge of breaking into tears of exhaustion and fear as he tried to look for Wendy, stopping every now and then to ask someone if they had seen either her or Bill.

He no longer tried to get any of the villagers to recognize him since it was clear they had no shred of memory left of the Pines family. It was completely useless.

The idea of borrowing a cellphone from someone and calling his sister or Ford had crossed Dipper's mind, but thanks to having saved all the numbers on his phone just once, he actually couldn't recite any specific numbers from his memory, other than 911, but Bill would just erase everyone's memories or worse.

No one had any shred of memory left of him or his sister. It was like he, Mabel, Stanley and the Mystery Shack had been simply erased from the town of Gravity Falls by Cipher who was clearly fixated on making his whole family-line suffer.

 

Dipper had no intentions of going back with the murderous demon and would avoid him to the best of his ability. Even if no one recalled him or wanted to offer help, he'd find a way to avoid falling back into Bill's grasp no matter what.

 _I have to hide somewhere, I will not go back with him, I won't,_  the teen thought in utter panic, fearing that the lanky and handsome young man might appear any moment and sink his claws into him. The teen's mind was in turmoil and he started to lose focus as the fear and exhaustion started to overwhelm him.

 _I will find a way out of here and contact Mabel and my uncles_ , Dipper promised himself. _Bill will pay for what he did to my parents, he has to._

Now that he thought about it, Bill would only find it funny to form a search party from the worried villagers. That accursed demon would weave his web of lies about his mental health, probably telling the villagers that he'd act deranged and confused because of stress and lack of medications. God, the mere thought made Dipper feel sick to his core and he could already see Bill's pleasant fake smile as the deputy Durland and Blubs escorted him back to the Mystery Shack. Cipher would act all worried and caring but the moment they were alone, he'd become a demon.

Lost in his scenarios, Dipper almost ran straight into Lazy Susan who was running some errands. “Dear, who are you and why are you so startled? Oh, you are bleeding! Should I take you to the clinic to be examined? Those cuts looks really bad.”

Dipper ignored the old waitress and dashed past her with a frenzied, panicked and hopeless look in his eyes. He was like an injured wild animal trying to escape its hunter, leaving a trail of blood and confused villagers behind for Bill to follow.

 

He needed to find someone fast who could have the same experience as Stanley after his mind had been wiped away, and the only person he could think of was Wendy. The two of them had such a strong friendship and she was too bullheaded not to recall him!

 _I want everyone to remember me! Robbie, Tammy, heck, even Gideon and Pacifica,_ Dipper thought feverishly as he kept running.

What made this all the more terrifying was how Bill had clearly taken time to remove his family's whole existence from the town. He had been so...methodical and merciless in his quest that Dipper couldn't' help but start wondering just how endless the demon's hatred towards him had to be.

_Cipher probably despises my mere existence._

_Please let Wendy be ok_ , the teen prayed quietly in his mind, wishing that the malicious nightmare demon had not lied to him during the car ride. He really wanted to believe in Bill, but doing so would be foolish and ruinous. The fear of finding every villager to be there except for Wendy was eating away at his soul. _Bill, if you've hurt Wendy, I swear I kill you...I..._

Dipper took a sharp turn when he came upon a corner of a building, only to crash straight into a group of teens who had hogged the whole sidewalk to themselves.

The Pines boy was knocked back by the sudden impact and he fell down onto the pavement quite painfully. The skin on his palms and elbows scraped against the rough concrete and he could feel his skin tear in agonizing manner. He was left with a couple more bleeding wounds.

It took a couple of seconds from Dipper to realize what had happened and who he was staring up at, but the moment his panicked mind managed to understand who he was looking at, Dipper felt a sense of relief and happiness wash over him. Bright and warm hope bloomed inside his soul and it made him forget the painful scrapes and cuts on his arms.

Before him stood Wendy with Robbie, Tammy and her other friends, all staring at him with surprised and startled expressions on their faces. He had crashed straight into Wendy who by the looks of it was alive and well, and not dead like he had feared.

At that moment, Wendy looked like an angel or super heroine to Dipper who was gazing up at her, his eyes filled with hope and happiness. She had grown a bit, matured and was almost like a proper, responsible adult.

 

“Whoa, watch where you are going kid, you almost scared the crap out of me,” the red haired girl said and the rest of the group eyed Dipper warily, not quite sure how they should react to the exhausted and injured teen who looked a bit younger than them.

Dipper got up onto his feet and stared at the group, still high from the sense of relief and hope, thinking that the surprised expressions were merely from the shock of seeing him again after such a long time.

“Wendy! Oh thank god you are ok, I feared you were dead, why didn't you write to me or answer my calls?!” Dipper yelled and dived in to hug the older teen on an instinct. However, he was quickly pushed back by Wendy who looked a bit shocked and startled by his sudden reaction. Somehow Dipper miraculously managed to keep his balance and not hit the concrete pavement once more.

“Hey whoa! Lets take few steps back here, I don't know who you are and for your information, I am very much alive!” she stated and raised her hands up slightly. “You must have mistaken me for someone else, even if my name is Wendy as well,” she added politely to the Pines boy's horror.

Dipper felt something inside him die a bit when he recognized the same baffled looks on his friends' faces as on everyone else's.

Somehow, he had had this naive and stupid hope that Wendy would remember him the instant she laid her eyes upon him. It looked like he had been utterly foolish to have such laughable dreams

 _Bill must be laughing at me and enjoying this to his heart's content,_ Dipper thought and could already feel Cipher embracing him from behind, his corruptive black tendrils coiling around his throat, heart and soul to suffocate and corrupt him. The nightmare demon would pull that small bud of hope from his soul and crush it in his hand. In his mind's eye, Dipper could see his captor grinning victoriously, his lips brushing against his ear before whispering, “surprise,” followed by a cackle.

Dipper felt so stupid, miserable and moronic that he actually let out a small nervous laughter of disbelief. Cipher wasn't even there, yet he could feel him slowly digging his claws into his weakening soul, tearing it apart a bit by bit.

“You...you are kidding right? You really don't recognize me Wendy? It is me, Dipper,!” he said and could feel himself getting faint.

Wendy just shook her head with confused expression, glancing at her friends to see if they knew the strange boy, but they all looked just as baffled.

“Nope, I've never met you in my life,” she replied quite politely once more, probably thinking that the strange teen had mistaken her for someone else. It wasn't that uncommon to bear a striking resemblance to someone else. Perhaps the boy just hadn't seen his friend in a long time.

Dipper could feel his heart beat against his chest and the anxiety felt paralyzing. He had hard time remembering to breathe.

 _Should I just turn around and hurry back? Maybe if I ask and beg, Bill won't hurt me too much,_ Dipper thought. _If I just do as he wants, maybe it won't be so bad. I'm the reason mom and dad are dead, maybe I deserve that fate._

However, as quickly as those thoughts entered his mind, he banished them, feeling disgusted by the idea of giving into Bill and letting him control him so easily. This was exactly what Cipher wanted and he refused to let the demon have him.

 _Wendy has to remember me, she just has to!_ _She can't have forgotten me, not after everything we went through that summer_. _I can make her remember, I know I can...I won't let Bill win and take control of this town, no matter what,_  the Pines teen thought desperately. _I already escaped, I can't make this any worse for me._

He was starting to get absolutely desperate and it began to affect his reasoning. Dipper knew he should be happy that Wendy was alright, yet he couldn't help but feel betrayed and bitter. Why couldn't she remember him? Was it too much to be asked? He just wanted one person to remember him, to help him escape Bill.

 _I let Bill go because I thought it was a kind and right thing to do....so why...why do I have to suffer for the just thing I did?_ Dipper pondered hopelessly, hating the world and fate that was so cruel to him. In most stories, showing mercy to the bad guy resulted in good, but this was real life that was cold, merciless and didn't care about your good deeds or karma. He had brought this fate upon himself and it was almost too painful to accept. He wanted to lash out at world, thrash and scream. Why couldn't he turn back the clock and redo everything?

“Hey, Wendy come on, you have to remember me! I am Dipper Pines and we met during the summer two years ago. You are Wendy Corduroy and you worked in my great uncle Stanley's tourist trap! You have to remember me, Mabel, Stanley...you just have to!!” Dipper tried hopelessly to get Wendy to remember, venting out all the information he had as fast as possible in hopes of jogging her memory, but his attempt only made the young woman take few steps backwards. She along with the rest of her group looked creeped out and frightened by his knowledge of her.

“Hey whoa, lets slow down. First of all how do you know my full name? And secondly, I've never, ever worked in any moldy tourist trap in my life. You are seriously starting to creep me out, kid. Just who the hell do you think you are? I've never seen you in my life, yet you seem to know awfully lot about me, even if half of your facts are fake and borderline fantasy fiction,” Wendy accused him and her friends looked creeped out as well by the strange kid who had bruises and cuts on him and was spewing absolutely nonsense at them.

Dipper wanted to just hug Wendy and never let go of her, to ask her to save and protect him from Bill since she was older, wiser and on the verge of adulthood. Yet she had no recollection of him or that summer. He didn't even look vaguely familiar to her.

 _I only make things worse for myself and give Bill more power if the whole town thinks I'm a nervous wreck with delusions and broken mind...guess it is too late to change that anymore,_ Dipper thought bitterly. It was clear the whole town was in Bill's hold and would believe the demon no matter what.

“You have to know Bill at least...please, you have to remember what he did to this town,” Dipper pleaded and was on a verge of breaking to tears. Wendy blinked in confusion, frowning ever so slightly when he mentioned the demon's name.

“Him? What about that guy? He is just a weirdo who lives in that run-down house,” Wendy scoffed and the rest of the teens nodded, agreeing with their leader. “Do you know him or something...oh no, don't tell me you are friends with him? Actually that would explain a lot. That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies ”

Dipper had no longer any mental strength to go on. What was the point when it was clear that no one in the town remembered him ever existing. Bill had really erased Pines family from this town and was the only one who knew him. It felt too painful.

“None of you really remember, do you? You recall absolutely nothing,” Dipper asked one last time and if he had any tears left, he would have been sobbing. He wanted to just crouch down and hug his legs and weep, hoping that some miracle would occur that allowed Wendy to remember and help him.

 _I don't want to go back with Bill,_ Dipper thought with broken heart. _Please don't let him take me, I don't want to be alone with him. Please....someone help me. I don't want this. I don't want to live in this reality._

Robbie and the rest quickly shook their heads disapprovingly, but Wendy gave him a long and hard look, as if trying to remember him because of how desperate and scared he was. Only now did Dipper realize that he was trembling visibly.

“I'm really sorry, but I don't know who you mistake me for. I have never seen you around Gravity Falls before and...” what ever Wendy had been planning to say died on her lips when she saw someone approach the Pines teen from behind, someone who made her expression turn sour.

Dipper could feel himself tense up. He turned around just in time to see none other than Bill cipher towering over him and grabbing his arm into a vice like grip, his fingers digging into his flesh in painful manner; it would certainly leave a bruise.

Wendy frowned and looked surprised when Dipper winced in pain and grit his teeth slightly.

“Oh, there you are Dipper! You know, you've left quite a trail behind you and now you've run into Ms. Corduroy and her friends? What a pleasant coincidence,” the blonde demon said all pleasantly and gave Dipper and the rest a friendly smile that hid all the sinister and malicious intentions behind it, or at least attempted to.

“Oh, it is you, creep,” Wendy said to Bill, her tone suddenly cold and very unpleasant. Seeing the girl react to Bill so badly gave Dipper hope, until she continued. “Is the brat your friend weirdo? Would explain a lot...”

Clearly the two didn't get along because Bill gave Wendy a long and demeaning stare, clearly despising her just as much as she did him. Cipher noticed that his rough handling had made Wendy suspicious so he released his vice like grip on Dipper's arm and instead placed his hands onto the teen's shoulders, making sure he wouldn't get away.  
“Why yes, Dipper and I here are very, very close friends. Did he cause you and your friends trouble?“ Cipher asked all pleasantly, yet he couldn't quite hide his malice fully. It cracked through his mask, making his smile look creepy. “I'd never forgive myself if someone happened to end up dead because of Dipper here....” Bill added and it was clearly a threat meant for his captive.

Dipper was paralyzed by fear and Demon's touch made him feel ill and disgusted. In his desperate attempt to find Wendy, he had not considered that his captor might hurt her as his punishment. The possibility made Dipper go pale and he almost forgot to breathe.

“Well considering he knows my name and spews absolutely nonsense, I'd say yes. Is he on drugs or something? Knowing you, Cipher, I wouldn't be surprised,” Wendy snapped at Bill who just leered maliciously at her, his golden eyes having somehow murderous look to them. Just moments ago, she had almost looked apologetic ,but now that Bill was here, Wendy had turned cold. She clearly loathed him for some reason.

“Oh, Dipper here has had a terrible nervous breakdown because of his useless deadbeat parents. I thought it would be best to bring him here to recover...but it looks like the information I gave him about the town merely made him create delusions and daydreams. Dipper here has such a vivid imagination, and is currently on very heavy medication...just like his sister should be,” Bill mocked his young captive who wanted to lash out at him, but couldn't out of fear for Wendy's sake.

It felt agonizing to hear Cipher weave these horrible demeaning lies to his friends, and knowing that they'd believe Bill rather than him. “Your broken mind is filled with wild delusions, isn't it, Pine T....Dipper? But that is alright, after all you are here to get better. And once that happens, I will take you home.”

Dipper took a couple of deep breaths in futile attempt to calm down. He dreaded that the murderous demon was going to hurt Wendy who was eying them both with extreme skepticism. The teen felt a shiver run down his spine when Bill leaned downwards, his thin lips caressing his ear.

“You've never met her in your life, have you sapling?” Bill murmured and Dipper could feel the demon smile. “Because, it would be unfortunate for your friends if you have. Now, why don't you be a good boy and correct yourself? If you do, I promise not to hurt your pathetic friends when I punish you for running from me.” The demon's tone was smug, overconfident and dripping with venom. Dipper knew that Bill was enjoying every second of this...taking delight in the power he held over him.

He finally hung his head in defeat, not wanting anything bad to happen to Wendy and the rest. Even though Bill had not killed anyone in the town, it didn't mean it would stay that way now that the cruel demon had claimed his prize. He had to make sure Bill had no reason to hurt his friends. It was yet another burden for him to bear and one could only wonder how much Dipper could bear before he'd finally break underneath the pressure.

“I wouldn't mind seeing you crawl before me, begging and pleading me not to hurt your beloved friends....,” Bill hissed so quietly that Wendy couldn't quite hear his words. “But I rather not cause any ruckus in the town. An empty toy box is a boring one.”  
“Yeah, I'm sorry...I just had a vivid dream, that's all,” Dipper said and the words hurt his soul. The older teens raised their eyebrows at him and scoffed, clearly having decided that he was completely mad. “Bill just mentioned your name and I just...I Just...I'm so sorry.”

“Ugh, that kid is creepy as hell, lets go Robbie,” Tammy said and took Robbie's arm who rolled his eyes at Dipper.

”Yeah, hey Wendy lets get going. We need to get to the concert before the lines become too long. I am not going to wait outside wearing only a hoodie and jeans,” the black haired teen complained and headed away with the rest of the group.

“Well maybe you should have prioritized warmth over fashion,” Tammy teased her boy friends as they crossed the street.

However, Wendy stayed for a moment longer, giving Bill and Dipper a long and doubt filled stare. Dipper knew that it probably didn't look good with him being bruised and bleeding and Bill being...well, Bill. The demon had pulled him closer so that his back was pressed against his captor's chest. Cipher was being very possessive of him, clearly wanting to keep him away from Wendy he so yearned to reach and hug.

“Is...is he your ward or something, creep?”

“Something like that, for the time being,” Bill replied, his hands moving from Dipper's shoulders to hug him from behind, chin resting on the teen's head.  
“Is that so?” Wendy asked all suspiciously, clearly disliking Bill for some reason when everyone else in the town seemed to either like him or be indifferent towards him.

When Cipher didn't say anything and merely gave the woman a creepy smile, Wendy scoffed and headed off to follow her friends.

“Whatever, Cipher,” Wendy muttered, only to stop for a moment when she was out of the duo's line of sight, but still close enough to hear the two of them. Something about that boy made her wonder.... He probably was just weird, but the bruises and cuts on him were worrisome...especially since he had been scared to death of Cipher.

 

When Wendy was gone, Bill's grin widened until he looked like a grinning predator, his golden eyes glowing slightly with malicious intent as he gave the boy's body a loving squeeze. Dipper swallowed, knowing that he had fallen once more into Cipher's grasp and that the demon was not going to let him go anymore. The daylight was fading fast and within an half an hour it would become completely dark.

“Why don't we do some shopping before we head back home? I rather not visit this miserable town again for the next few days,” Cipher asked and Dipper knew that he was going to enter a world of nightmares when they'd be alone once more. He feared that this was the last time he'd see the town he had fallen in love with....yet, it wasn't the same anymore. To Dipper, Gravity Falls had become an empty husk. His warm memories were void and null and held no worth anymore because there was no one he could share them with.

“The day is nearing its end and we have so much to do. We have plenty of time to discuss your misbehavior when we get back to the Mystery Shack, don't we?” Bill snickered against Dipper's ear who nodded weakly, having no mental strength to fight Bill after the emotionally devastating encounter with Wendy.

“Yeah, we do,” Dipper replied quietly in defeat and could feel Bill pat his cheek. It felt like he was trapped in a tar pit that was Bill Cipher and the more he struggled, the faster he submerged into the golden and black abyss that was the demon.

“Now there is a good kid! Now, shall we get going Pine Tree? I'll even let you pick something you want to eat.”

 

* * *

 

Wendy could feel a sharp, stabbing pain in her brain when she heard those 2 odd names; Mystery Shack and Pine Tree. Well to be honest pine tree was completely normal thing to say, but to call someone that? Was it really a nickname and why did it make her head hurt?

Corduroy grunted a bit and held her head as she tried to recall and grasp something that wavered on the edge of her mind. Cold sweat formed on her brow and her face was as white as a sheet. It felt like someone was pushing an ice pick into her brain, trying to loosen some memories that had become jammed and forgotten. She could almost recall something very crucial about Gravity Falls and about that creep Bill Cipher, but the memories eluded her, fading away just when she was about to grasp them.

 _That boy, I-I feel like I've met him somewhere before, I'm sure of it_.

Wendy was pretty certain that she had never seen him before, yet.... that face, voice and name made her wonder if she could truly trust her own memories. The way that kid had acted, it was as if he knew her and was devastated because she couldn't remember him.

“What the hell was that?” Wendy muttered all frustrated and mad at herself for not being able to recall those memories. It felt as if there was a piece of her missing.

Something was very wrong with Gravity Falls, had been for over 2 years now, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Though, there was one thing she was absolutely certain about; the feeling had started the day Bill Cipher had set his foot in the town.

That smug prick with golden hair and unnatural eyes was the root of every strange thing happening around the town, she was absolutely sure of it.

Cipher had just appeared one day and claimed the empty house near the forest as his own, charming everyone in the town to his side with good looks, charisma and silver tongue. Yet, something about Cipher felt wrong and Wendy had this gut feeling that refused to fade away; one that told her not to trust him no matter what, and that he was bad news.

Wendy had seen him skulking around the town and woods doing all kinds of shady things numerous times. Bill clearly despised everyone in the town despite acting otherwise, she could tell.

Wendy hurried back, but when she got around the corner, the two of them had already disappeared.

The young woman grit her teeth and her eyes burned with determination. She had had it with Cipher and needed to know what he was about.

“I know something is wrong here and I need to find out, no matter what”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up longer than I anticipated. Longer chapters usually means lacking quality but I tried so hard. *Sob* I really need to write shorter chapters to keep focus and quality up but I just can't! This story becomes longer and longer as I come up with more and more plot ideas :D
> 
> I've been searching for all the wonderful and inspirational dark Bill x Dipper fan arts to give me ideas for this story :3


	7. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! Long chapter, mostly setting things up again.

 

Dipper's mind was in utter turmoil and chaos as he followed Bill around the super market, like an obedient and trained dog, one that knew disobedience meant punishment and pain.

The Pines boy looked docile, even calm on the outside as he stalked Cipher like a shadow through the twists and turns of the aisles in order not to let the golden eyed demon have even the slightest reason to go back outside and hurt Wendy or her friends.

However, if one was to look directly into the teen's eyes, they'd see pure primal fear and utter hopelessness that had rendered the lonely twin unable to take any action. Dipper's gaze darted everywhere and he was breathing a tad faster, his small heart hammering against his chest in almost painful manner.

 _What if I wander to wrong aisle and he thinks I'm trying to sneak away? What...what if he hurts someone in here?_ Dipper thought in panic as he tried to keep up with Bill. The medium sized super market was packed with people doing their late evening shoppings, each and every one of the shoppers blissfully unaware of Bill's true nature.

Dipper's heart sank slightly after each encounter with a resident he knew.

 _It feels like I am a ghost walking among the living...no one sees me,_ he thought as yet another familiar face didn't even notice him. The sad fact however was that they did _**see**_ him, they just had no recollection of who he was.

The heart breaking encounter with Wendy had taken a great toll on Dipper's mental health, that was for sure. Bill had managed to deliver extremely painful blow to his psyche, thanks to having found the perfect way to hurt and isolate him from the rest of the town. Learning the truth about the residents of Gravity Falls had left Dipper's mind and soul bare and vulnerable for the vile demon to damage even more.

Before long it would shatter and he'd then wrap his ethereal chains around the boy's broken mind and make sure he'd never be free of him. The more he struggled....the tighter the chains would become.

 _I don't have a single ally in Gravity Falls anymore, I'm a stranger here...everyone cares more about Bill than me,_ the Pines boy thought hopelessly, having lost all inner strength and will to fight Bill. _It is wrong.._ _._

Adrenaline was coursing through Dipper's veins due to the dread that had taken a suffocating grip of his heart. His mind was racing and going through all the different possibilities and scenarios, but no matter how hard he tried, he saw no away out of this nightmarish situation....or a way to save his friends. If he dared to run away again, it wasn't only him who was going to pay the price. Wendy's, Robbie's and every resident's life could be in danger if he tried something drastic.

The smug, amused and a tad cruel smile on Bill's face refused to fade away as he led Dipper through the maze of aisles. The gleam in his unnaturally colored eyes promised only pain and sorrow to Dipper the moment they'd return to the safety of Mystery Shack, away from curious eyes.

Every now and then the tall, slim young man glanced at his pet, clearly enjoying the devastated look on his prize's cute little face. Dipper's eyes had lost some of their shine and he looked truly hopeless and beaten, just the way the demon liked it.

Dipper almost tripped over his own feet as he followed Bill closely, having lost himself in the depths of his own thoughts that had become quite dark and hopeless. A loud yelp escaped the boy's lips and he nearly crashed into the blond who merely scoffed and looked over his shoulder with a mocking sneer on his face.

“Don't trip and hit your head, sapling. The last thing I want is for you to hurt yourself....accidentally that is,” Bill said with a soft chuckle before turning to face his walking direction once more. “There is simply no fun in that,” the cruel demon added quietly. If the boy was going to hurt himself, he wanted him to do it because of him, because he couldn't take it anymore. Yet...he wouldn't allow his little Sapling to do anything drastic, oh no....

Dipper followed Bill like a shadow as the two of them slowly made their way around the supermarket, getting all kinds of supplies from candles and batteries to food and snacks, all things they'd need for the days to come. Cipher clearly had no interest to visit the town often and wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to endure the presence of the hapless villagers again anytime soon, hopefully never again.

Dipper couldn't help but feel embarrassed. The last thing he wanted was fall against Bill who'd no doubt find it extremely funny. The memory of the demon carrying him in his arms into the Mystery shack was still fresh in his mind and Dipper didn't want same to happen here. He cast his gaze down and rubbed his right arm, not wanting to look at Cipher who had taken away everyone's memories of him and was going to make sure he'd learn his lesson.

Everything felt so bizarre and surreal that the Pines boy wondered if he was dreaming or living out a scene in some farce of a play he wanted to be no part of, yet he had been dragged onto the stage and forced to play a main role in this tragedy with the otherworldly handsome demon as both his co-star and antagonist. No one had bothered to give him the script and to Dipper, it felt as if Bill knew the ending and all the lines already.

The elevator style music of the supermarket combined with the overly bright fluorescent lights and the rattling sound of the shopping carts gave the whole scene a very bizarre and surreal feel to it, making Dipper wonder if he was actually dreaming. However, the painful cut on his hand left by the broken glass was a good reminder that this was not a dream, just a living nightmare. The bleeding wound had dried up a while ago, but it still radiated pain up his arm.

 _Being awake or asleep don't really differ from each other anymore, do they?_ Dipper wondered, knowing that he wouldn't find respite from this pain even in sleep where only nightmares awaited him. The only dreams he could have anymore were about Bill, so in a way the demon was constantly with him.

Only when Dipper realized the tall demon hadn't been moving for few minutes did he get pulled back to the reality. His mind kept wandering and he wasn't really there; evidence of this was the fact that he had no recollection of what had happened during the past 5 minutes.

Dipper blinked in confusion and looked rather baffled when he realized that Bill had made a stop at the cereal aisle for some bizarre reason.

The sight of the rows of colorful boxes brought back painful memories of him and Mabel running along the aisles of their hometown supermarket, getting both cereal they wanted and bringing the boxes to the cart pushed by their mother. The emotionally exhausted teen shook his head slightly, not wanting to relive memories that had turned painful so quickly.

Dipper could feel his heart beat elevate as he watched Bill stare a cereal box with colorful mascot on it with a serious and pondering expression on his otherworldly handsome face. He felt faint. The mere thought of walking around a super market with his parent's murderer, choosing cereal of all things felt disgusting and impossible, yet here he was, following Bill in a tight leash.

 _Am I really walking around a super market with Bill and buying groceries...choosing a cereal brand of all things??_ Dipper wondered as he merely stood there and stared at Bill with glassy eyes. They said eyes were mirror to one's soul and right now Dipper's reflected all the pain and sorrow he had experienced within few short days. Unfortunately it went unnoticed by everyone in the supermarket, everyone but Bill.

It just felt so wrong in every way, especially after what the demon had done. In books and movies, you never really saw the killer doing normal stuff such as buying groceries with a kidnapped victim and even if you did, there was always very dangerous and oppressive feel to it. This time however, it just felt so mundane and meaningless, like moment of pause and calmness before the storm.

The sight of the tall demon in human form carrying a basket and trying to decide what to buy for them to eat was at the same time hilarious, bizarre and disturbing. This young man...no, a demon had killed his parents in most brutal manner and enjoyed it to his heart's content; then drugged him and brought him to Gravity Falls where he had erased everyone's memories of him.

 _This world has lost its mind, this is just too insane and unfair to be real. Then again weirdness and madness are Bill's element,_ the boy thought hopelessly. It really felt like something had broken inside him after encountering Wendy. _I don't know what else I should have expected....why didn't I tell great Uncle Ford?_

As long as he was in public with Bill, the demon would be all smiles and friendly, hiding his true, malevolent nature underneath that mask he wore so masterfully. It was no wonder he had managed to trick so many people to make deals with him. At times when he looked at Bill, Dipper wished the mask held some authenticity to it...but he knew better, that the moment they'd get back to Mystery Shack, the demon's act of calmness and friendliness would drop and he'd become his usual mirthful yet cruel self.

He didn't even want to imagine what kind of a punishment Cipher had in store for him.

I _wish this illusion of safety would never break, I don't want to go back to Mystery Shack with Bill.....I...I can't go back to that dark, empty and cold house. I'll never get out after this,_ Dipper thought and eyed the villagers that passed the two of them with pleading look in his eyes, yet all the villagers saw was just Bill shopping with his young friend and guest.

Maybe that was why Bill felt so terrifying. Now that he was wearing sneakers, skinny jeans, t-shirt and a flannel shirt over it...he looked like a perfectly normal young adult with dyed hair and tad exotic eyes that could have passed for contact lenses. Only Dipper knew that beneath the human appearance lied a demon who had no love for anyone in the town.

As more residents of Gravity Falls passed them on the aisle, Dipper wished that someone would see the fear, anxiety and desperation in his eyes and do something about it, that they'd take him away from Bill from their own volition and initiative. Yet, no one saw anything wrong with the picture, if anything...he got some envious looks from few girls in their late teens he didn't recognize.

 _Does he even think about what he has don_ e _?_ Dipper wondered, unsure if his parents' deaths even meant anything to Bill. As painful as it was, the pines boy had no trouble believing that Bill probably hadn't given his parent's any thought after killing them.

 _Mom and Dad's deaths were meaningless, serving no other purpose than to provide Bill a moment of amusement and to hurt me._ It was the cold, remorseless truth.

Death didn't carry any weight to the golden demon. Dipper started to feel ill the more he thought about it. The world didn't care about his dead parents either and went on without even stopping for few seconds. They might even still be lying there on the floor.... to be found by either Mabel or the police.

2 years ago everyone in the town had worked together to stop Bill from destroying the world. Weirdmageddon had been an event that had touched every single creature and person in the vicinity of Gravity Falls and brought them together to oppose the vile demon, demon who was now choosing a cereal box without a care in the world....

Dipper had been a fool to think Bill to be any less dangerous as a human. Sure,as a mere mortal he wasn't a threat to the world, but he had still been powerful enough to destroy the boy's life completely. Needless to say, their relationship had become very close, dark and intimate. Cipher had pushed Dipper into his personalized hell and was going to enjoy watching him slowly suffer and break.

 _Why, why did I have to be such a fool to think Bill was powerless to do anything? This is my fault...all of it. I wish I could just cease to exist even for a minute to escape this pain,_ Dipper thought, yet death scared him and he didn't want to meet the same horrible fate as his parents.

At times, he imagined Bill doing the same to him...pressing him against the floor with his tall body while holding knife in his hand, giving him that hideous sneer before thrusting that cold steel blade into his throat. However, even that would be a pleasant dream because Dipper knew Bill wouldn't give him a quick death like that. He'd drag it on and enjoy his demise to his heart's content, cherishing every pained and hopeless whimper he'd let out.

To be honest, Dipper almost feared that the demon would keep his promise of not hurting him because then he'd never escape this hell he had found himself in. And even if he did somehow escape, the scars would remain and be so deep that they'd never heal properly. Bill would always be with him for the rest of his life.

The Pines boy was having hard time remembering to breathe and it started to feel like there was metal barb wire coiling around his heart and chest, tightening and tightening each passing second until it was almost painful to breathe.

The anxiety was killing Dipper and he was starting to feel very faint. His mind kept wandering to the happy days he had experienced with Mabel whom he probably wasn't going to see ever again. Within seconds, he lost himself in the depths of his mind once more, only to be pulled back to reality by Bill who had been silent for a good while now.

“Are these any good?” Bill suddenly asked from Dipper and showed one of the boxes' front to Dipper. However, when the blond demon noticed that his captive's mind was miles away, his expression turned quickly somewhat vexed and he snapped his fingers rapidly in front of Dipper's eyes, the sharp sound and movement making the boy flinch and focus his attention at the demon. His eyes were wide and slightly fearful.

“Hey focus here, Pine Tree! I can't have damaged your mind this much just yet.” Bill snapped angrily, only to raise his grow and leer at Dipper when he saw just how pale the boy had become. He was staring at the demon with widen eyes that reflected his inner world.

  
“Oh, would you look at that, you are so pale, Pine Tree. Are you feeling alright? Maybe I should take you home where your parents could take good care of you...oh right, I forgot they are quite unavailable at the moment,” Bill snickered and smiled all amused, his eyes narrow due to the nasty devilish grin.

Dipper trembled visibly and the demon sighed contently, loving how scared and defeated his little prisoner was. The boy looked so delightfully vulnerable that Bill couldn't wait to play with him some more. He wanted to dig his claws deeper into Pine Tree's mind and make sure he'd become all dependent on him. He desired Dipper's unconditional love, even if he couldn't' return it.

“Well I'll take it anyway,” Bill finally said with a scoff when the boy found himself unable to reply. The demon tossed the large cereal box into the basket and headed off.

 _Cereal with no milk? Delicious_ , Dipper thought, but thankfully Bill threw some fruit to the basket along with bread and sandwiches as well. They picked mostly things that lasted long without need for refrigeration such as fruit, bread and various snacks.

 _Right, no electricity means no heat...there probably isn't even gas stove there_ , Dipper thought sadly as they continued their long and arduous journey through the jungle of aisles. The idea of returning to Mystery Shack became even less appealing.

The shopping basket grew gradually heavier and soon enough the demon got bored of carrying it around, shoving it into his prisoner's arms to take care of. Only now did Dipper realize how weak he had become physically as well. He had not eaten anything for few days now, not that he had any appetite left in him.

As he looked at the sandwiches and fruit, and the cereal box with the overly colorful mascot that could have been something from Mabel's dreams, Dipper just felt ill about the thought of having to eat any of them.

 _Bill is probably a stick because he doesn't know how nutrition works,_ Dipper couldn't help but think as he looked at Cipher who was tall and extremely thin. _For a demon who is as old as the time, he should know. Maybe he never bothered._ If anything, The fact that Bill possessed tremendous strength despite being almost sickly thin made him feel even more demonic.

Cipher's grip could be very painful and he could easily drag him around and subdue him with no effort whatsoever if he fought the young blond. Bill's form clearly wasn't entirely human.

The young blond's sudden return to Gravity Falls had not gone unnoticed by the long time residents and the two of them were constantly stopped by a villager or two who wanted to share few pleasantries with Bill who had even brought a friend with him. New faces were always welcome in the small town.

Dipper had thought that seeing friendly faces would lift his spirit, but when it had become clear that no one had any shred of memory of him, each encounter only ate away at his soul, pushing him deeper into the grips of depression and closer to Bill's control.

With defeated look in his eyes, Dipper gazed at Bill who was exchanging few words with Lazy Sue and despite trying to stay calm and friendly, his mask of friendliness was starting get cracks on it as he grew more and more frustrated with all these interrupts. The corner of his mouth and eye twitched as he tried to keep the strained happy and pleasant expression on his face.

 _You can't hide it Bill...you clearly despise everyone in this town_ , _everything about your appearance screams “I hate this god damned place,”_ Dipper sighed in his mind and wished from the bottom of his heart that no one in the town would be hurt by the cruel demon. The last thing he wished was to bring pain to all his friends, even if they didn't know he was their friend. Hopefully he'd be strong enough not to give Bill any reason to hurt the people he cared about.

After 40 minutes of arduous shopping, time that Dipper wished had lasted even longer, the two of them headed for the checkouts. The Pines boy merely stood quietly beside Bill as the late teen doing a part time job at the checkout scanned their items one by one, extremely lazily you might add.

Bill drummed the counter with his long, almost spidery fingers, his patience clearly nearing its limit. Dipper gulped, hoping that Cipher wouldn't snap and bring pain and nightmares to the people doing their late evening shopping. To the brunette boy's horror, the late teen who noticed Bill getting impatient, slowed his pace down to a crawl, moving like a sloth with each product, making it even look like one of the products didn't scan correctly. No one liked an impatient asshole; things moved to their own accord in Gravity Falls.

Bill's smile became even more strained and the corner of his mouth was twitching really badly now.

Dipper slowly glanced upwards at the demon who shared a look with him. The gleam of madness in Cipher's golden eyes said, _“I will kill this person.”_ and all Dipper could do was shake his head slightly, as if it would help.

When the trial of patience was finally over, the demon paid with a cash that he had probably stolen from someone and made the person forget all about it with the memory gun. He naturally made Dipper pack and carry the heavy groceries, after all he was his personal slave and plaything, what better use was there for him?

However the moment they were about to head for the exit, Dipper heard a familiar voice behind them, one that made him paralyze completely. He couldn't take a single step even though he wanted to run out so that he wouldn't have to face the same let down and sorrow as with Wendy.

 _I don't want to turn around so that I don't have to face the fact that he does not remember me in anyway..._ Even though he didn't wish to return to Mystery Shack with Bill, he'd rather choose that than this.

"Oh hello there Mr. Cipher, good to see you back in town. Did you have a nice trip?"  
Dipper could see Bill tense up slightly, his jaw visibly clenching, yet he looked more annoyed than worried, as if he couldn't stand the person.

When it became clear that they were getting stalled once more, Dipper hesitantly turned around to see none other than Soos standing there, holding a small plastic bag with vegetables inside, most likely meant for Abuela. As always, he had that goofy, happy, and friendly look on his face and unlike Cipher's, it was all genuine. Soos was always overly kind to those around him and seeing him being this way with Bill hurt Dipper greatly. Wendy had despised Cipher's guts for some reason, but Soos greeted him with the same friendliness he met everyone.

"Oh, it is you, what do you want from me?" Bill asked quite coldly despite the fake smile on his face. He wasn't really trying anymore because the smile had turned into a small sneer.

"Oh Sorry, Mr. Cipher you must be busy with your friend and all, but I thought I'd ask how the book you are writing is proceeding? Abuelita is dying to read it already, there are not that many writers in this town you know," Soos said with a small laugh.

 _What is Soos talking about?_ Dipper wondered a bit worried and looked up at Bill who just raised his other eye brow and stared blankly at Soos with an expression on his face that said, _“what the hell are you talking about, you miserable and simple human? What book”_? but then he seemed to remember something crucial.

“Oh...oooh _**that**_...yeah sure whatever, it is proceeding alright, I guess," Bill almost groaned and looked at his wrist watch that didn't even exist. "Oh but would you look at the time....Pine Tree and I better start heading back home before it gets too dark. It will be a long walk and its staring to rain soon you know,” he said dryly and took a painful grip of Dipper's upper arm, starting to drag him towards the exit, only to be stopped once more by Soos.

"You are Mr. Cipher's friend? Hehe, nice to meet you, I'm Soos, who might you be?" the young adult asked all politely which made Dipper feel light headed due to the anxiety and desperation. Why couldn't Soos recall him? Was it really too much to be asked? He would have given anything to have his friend remember him, to tell him that things were going to be ok and that he'd help him get out of Bill's grasp.

 _Please...help me Soos, I don't want to go with Bill. Please recognize me...you have to,_ Dipper pleaded with his eyes, _I will never see you or Wendy again if he takes me back to Mystery Shack. It is so cold and dark there_. But when the only reply he got was that goofy smile and empty look, his heart died some more.

Bill's claws were closing in around his feeble and weakened soul, ready to grasp it and capture it completely. Those razor sharp nails would sink into him and inflict terrible wounds. The golden demon would never let him go and in the end, he wouldn't want him to. He'd be terrified to live without him...

At this moment, Dipper felt so bitter about his life and fate that each encounter with his old friends only served to push him deeper into despair and misery. If Wendy nor Soos could recognize and remember him, no one would. He was all alone with his fears and worries. Bill was the only one who remembered him...which in turn made him probably the most meaningful person in the town, the only one who shared any memories with him. The thought was almost too painful to endure.

"Call me whatever you want, it doesn't really matter, does it..." Dipper replied quietly, almost snapped and Bill couldn't help but be amused by the boy's bitterness. Pine Tree couldn't even look Soos in to eyes, a clear sign that he was emotionally exhausted and strained which in turn would make it even easier to manipulate and tempt him to surrender himself to him. A malicious and possessive smile returned to Bill's face and he eyed Dipper almost dreamily. It was only a matter of time.

"I'm so sorry, Soos. My young friend here has a serious attitude problem, one that we are going to discuss in detail when we get back to Mystery Shack," Bill almost cackled as he pressed his hands onto Dipper's shoulders, his grip quite painful. The brunette teen had to bit his tongue to keep down a whimper of pain as the pressure on his shoulders grew gradually stronger, to the point it became painful and was going to leave small bruises.

The young boy had no trouble believing that he'd be able to break his bones if he wanted to. "We are going to fix it eventually and then I will have a well behaved young teen in my hands," Bill added with a chuckle, underlining the word “I”.

"Heh, that is ok, teen life, man, I wouldn't want to be your age again. All the drama and emotional storms, " Soos just laughed it off. Probably thinking that the emotional teen was just having a bad day. Seeing his friend react so well to his action made Dipper feel even worse. He had never meant to hurt Soos.

_It isn't Soos fault he doesn't remember me, why am I acting this way? This is all Bill's fault... How could I just snap at him like this? This is not me._

”Well see ya, Mr. Cipher. I better get these groceries to abuelita before I die from hunger!" Soos said all amused, and the moment he turned around to leave, Bill's smile faded away and got replaced by a cold, mirthless and serious look.

Even though it had pained to see Soos who had no recollection of him or all the whacky adventures they had shared together, Dipper's heart ached even more when he stared at his receding back.

 _I will never see him again, will I?_ he pondered all heart broken. _By some miracle, I even got to see Soos again, yet all I did was snap at him. I couldn't even look him into eyes. What is wrong with me?_

Dipper could feel Cipher's grip on his shoulders loosen as Soos got farther and farther away.

"You do that," Bill replied quietly and the look in his golden eyes was truly murderous.

"You do that...."

 

When they stepped outside the supermarket, nightfall had settled over the town and the lands surrounding it. The street lamps had turned on, casting their glaring lights over the streets that were slowly getting emptied as people hurried off to their cosy homes and warm beds for the night, things Dipper wondered if he would ever have again.

Dark clouds had gathered over the sky and the boy blinked and looked up when he felt couple of large water drops land on his face. It had started dribbling and Dipper couldn't help but shiver when the cold autumn wind blew harshly around them.

The blond on the other hand seemed to enjoy the sensation, welcoming the twilight and darkness along with the cold wind and rain with open arms. Even if he was a human now, night was still his time of reign. He stood there in the rain for a moment before slowly turning his golden eyes on Dipper and as much as Dipper hated to admit it, he looked absolutely stunning in the twilight. The small smile on his lips didn't promise anything good.

“Lets go home Pine Tree.”

 

* * *

 

 

Dipper's gaze was downcast as the two of them made their way back towards the Mystery Shack that had fallen into decay. Every now and then he lifted his eyes from the dark, muddy ground to see that Bill's was still there to guide him. He was not in a hurry, after all they had all the time in the world. Each step felt more anxious than the previous one and Dipper had hard time remembering to breathe.

As they neared the edge of the town, the houses grew scarcer and scarcer until finally their welcoming lights were left behind altogether when they took a path through the dark woods. His mind was racing with ideas of what Bill was going to do to him when they were inside the building that was far away from other houses. His screams and cries for help would go unheard.

 _What if I run away now? What do I have to lose?_ The thought had crossed his mind many times, but...Dipper knew better, that no matter what he'd try, Bill would drag him back one way or another and none of the villagers wouldn't be able to help him.

 _If I try to escape, I'm not the only one who will get hurt._ The knowledge that the villagers were easy prey to the malevolent demon thanks to having their memories erased ensured that Dipper wasn't going to do anything foolish.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Bill hurt or killed someone because he had decided to do something stupid or reckless. He had sounded very serious about his threat to hurt Wendy and the rest...

He suddenly felt responsible for every resident's safety in Gravity Falls and it was not an easy burden to bear.

The dribbling quickly turned into proper heavy rain and soon enough their clothes were soaked throughly. Dipper had never felt so miserable, hopeless or depressed in his life. His parents were dead, that he had accepted even if it was painful, but to be a total stranger to everyone in the town? To have no one remember him or share his memories about the summer? It really was like he had never been here...he didn't exist in anyone's memory.

 _What's the point of trying if no one recalls me or wants to help me?_ Dipper thought as he followed Bill, the silence between them deep and unbearable. _I can't escape him, not after this._

There was no way the nightmare demon was going to let him leave after what he had done. It wasn't like there had been any trust between them anyways, but...he had given Bill all the reasons in the world to treat him badly. He was probably going to tie him up and throw into the basement to rot.

_Why am I so stupid? How idiotic can I be to hope a demon like Bill doesn't have everything planned? He waited for 2 years to make sure he was ready...I should have known better._

“What was that about a book? The one Soos asked about?” Dipper finally asked quietly as he followed the demon like there was an invisible chain connecting him to Bill; he just couldn't endure the silence between them any longer.

Cipher looked over his shoulder with a bored look in his otherworldly eyes that glowed ever so slightly in the darkness.  
“Oh that? When I took over Mystery Shack I just came up with the story about being an author to justify my reclusive nature and wish to be alone,” he said with a chuckle, looking up at the cloud covered night sky; he loved the sensation of the cold rain hitting his face, "research is such a good reason to skulk around the woods and live in that house that is slowly falling apart."

“I see,” Dipper said quietly, and for some reason he wished Bill to continue talking just so that he wouldn't lose himself in the depths of his own mind again. _I want to have something to prolong this...and to keep my mind away from all the sorrow_ s.

A part of him wanted to ask about the blood rune the demon had carved on one of the trees but...he wasn't sure if he could take in any more bad news right now.

 

The wind blew harshly, battering their forms and scattering red and yellow leaves everywhere.

“I thought it would be fun since you were so obsessed with Sixer and his stupid journals that summer...,” the blonde man continued, only to pause for a moment and smile, “and well, I did create a book of my own, a grimoire if you will, something to put all my research notes in...” Bill laughed and halted his walking for a moment to wait for Dipper to catch up to him. The boy's steps had started to slow down due to exhaustion and lack of energy.

Bill had pretty much corrupted the Mystery Shack completely and everything it stood for. He had even defiled Ford's presence who had built the house to study and record the strange occurrences. Sure, Ford had formed a short lived alliance with Bill and there had been traces of the demon's influence in the Shack, but this was entirely different. He had even created his own journal that probably holding all kinds of dark occult knowledge.

 _That rune with addition of blood was something I never encountered in Ford's journals,_ Dipper thought, having a feeling that Cipher's “journal” was much more malevolent and dangerous than Ford's.

“Seems to have worked since none of the hapless villagers bother me too much. Sometimes however, they just keep pestering me with their stupid questions that make me want to see this whole town get torn apart and sent into the void,“ Bill stated quietly as they continued their journey through the woods.

Dipper shivered when he saw the dreamy look in Bill's beautiful eyes, like what he had just said was a plan he had prepared and ready to set in motion, no matter what. After few seconds of pondering, the blond scoffed loudly and eyed his little prisoner from head to toes in rather mocking manner. The brunette boy had stopped few meters away from Cipher, shoes deep in mud. He looked truly miserable, vulnerable, cold and scared, unable to take a single step forward.

The sight of the scared and trembling boy made Bill want to swoop in and carry him back to the Mystery Shack, to show him a kinder side to confuse and manipulate him further, but Pine Tree wasn't damaged enough for that just yet. The kid just looked so cute and adorable when he was scared and hopeless that he couldn't help it.

“I am a demon of my word, Pine Tree. As annoying as they are, I haven't killed anyone, well except for your parents, but lets be honest here, they really deserved it for raising such a moronic child, right Pine Tree?” Bill cackled out loud, mocking and abusing Dipper with his words that cut painfully deep.

 _Why did you have to kill them...why couldn't you just take me and leave them alone, mom and dad did nothing to you, they didn't even know you,_ Dipper thought, happy that his tears mixed with the rain water. He wanted to scream at Bill who was grinning like a Cheshire cat and looked just as insane, but he didn't have the energy or will power.

For a moment they just stood there in the cold rain, Bill eying Dipper maliciously who was trembling from cold, his gaze fixated on the muddy ground.

 _I don't know what to do anymore...,_ Dipper thought, admitting that he no longer had any sort of a plan left. Right now, all he could do was follow Bill and face whatever he had planned.

Eventually the slim young man walked over to Dipper who was getting soaked in the rain, not wanting to take another step towards the Mystery Shack that loomed behind the trees. His clothes were so soaked that they couldn't drain any more water.

Dipper could sense Bill standing directly in front of him, but didn't lift his gaze until the demon took hold of his face with both hands, forcing his pet to lift his gaze from the muddy ground and look into his golden eyes that were half-lidded and shining with maliciousness.

“Are you afraid Pine Tree?” the handsome young man asked quietly as he held Dipper's face in his hands, his nails digging slightly into the boy's skin. “It is ok to be scared, terrified even, because you should be after your little stunt,” Cipher cackled and eyed the boy with half-lidded eyes. “Do you want me to hold your hand? I can if it makes you feel better,” the demon cackled before starting to lead Dipper once more back to the Mystery Shack.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Welcome back home,_ Dipper thought sadly when the front door was slammed shut behind him by Bill. Silence fell over the decaying house and now that the darkness had fallen over the lands, the abandoned tourist trap felt outright terrifying.

It was almost pitch black inside, and even though Dipper had never been too afraid of the dark, the knowledge that he was going to spend his night here with the cruel demon made his skin crawl and heightened his other senses.

He stared into the dark hallway completely still, his eyes giving away the pure dread he was experiencing. Water dripped from their clothes onto the damp floor and Dipper didn't know how he'd ever get himself dry. The tall demon on the other hand just smiled contently and didn't seem to mind the fact that his clothes were soaked as well, probably because he had spare clothing unlike Dipper.

 _I'd do anything for a hot bath and a set of_ _dry warm clothes_ , the teen sighed in his mind, yet he knew there was nothing warm inside the forgotten house that had not been heated for years. Even though the walls shielded them from the biting wind, without heating it was almost as cold inside as outside.

 _I wonder if I will make it through the night,_ Dipper thought sadly as he listened to the howling wind outside, his heart sinking at the thought of never getting to feel warmth or comfort ever again.

There was no electricity and thus no light other than the candles, lanterns and few flashlights they had bought. It was a small miracle the building still had running water.

The rain grew even heavier outside and the sound of the large water drops hitting against the roof and windows made Dipper feel like he truly was in a horror movie.

“Just the two of us here now, Pine Tree..Finally,” the demon whispered and Dipper could hear the excitement in his voice as he came closer.

Dipper just stood there in the darkness as Bill started circling around him slowly like a predator, his graceful hand running along his little Sapling's shoulder and back; Cipher was clearly enjoying the sense of power he had over the scared teen.

“Now what should I do with you? What could we do together?” the handsome demon murmured softly, only to stop behind his prisoner and wrap his long arms around the freezing kid to hug him tightly. "You really hurt my feelings by running away. Such a misbehaving, arrogant and moronic child....”

Dipper trembled slightly in Bill's hold, both from fear and cold.

“You are just so cute when you are all scared and helpless, you know that?” Bill cackled and tightened his hold around Dipper, as if the boy was so adorable he just had to squeeze him tight.

Though the rib cracking tight embrace felt extremely uncomfortable, Dipper could feel Bill's body warmth radiate through the many layers of wet cloth, and he yearned to feel more of it. “You are all mine, Pine Tree....no one will help you, you do know that?”

When Cipher finally loosened his hold around his small form, Dipper felt somewhat mortified due to the fact he had wished the hug to last few seconds longer.

_Bill's body felt so warm..._

”Lets go upstairs, I want a drink to warm myself up,” Cipher murmured softly.

 

* * *

 

The semi-wet groceries were left forgotten into the hallway as Dipper followed Bill upstairs without a word, all the way up to the attic; the very same place where the demon had possessed him.

Dipper's gaze wandered around the attic room that Cipher had turned into his lair.

The large wooden table with all kinds of scrolls, papers, notebooks, maps, diagrams and ink bottles would normally have gained the boy's full attention, but right now there was something else that interested him far more.

The teen found his gaze helplessly wandering to the large bed that was pushed against the wall, one that was covered in large pillows, quilts and blankets. It looked extremely warm and comfortable and the amount of pillows piled on it made Dipper think of a nest. Despite that, or perhaps because of that, he just wanted to crawl underneath the covers and try getting himself warm.

_Is that where Bill sleeps? It looks surprisingly comfortable..._

There were clothes scattered all around the room and the only set hanging beautifully from a hanger was the golden tailcoat Bill had manifested in. But, that set of golden clothing was no longer beautiful. It was covered in his parents' now dry blood that would never come off.

Had the circumstances been different, Dipper would have been furiously trying to solve how Bill took care of himself, but right now he had his own survival to worry about.

The teen watched how Bill walked up to a table and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. No doubt the demon had helped himself to Gruncle Stanley's liqueur cabinet a long time ago in order to endure the human condition. Once the small glass had been filled to the brim, the demon turned his golden eyes to Dipper and showed him the bottle.

_Looks like Great Uncle Stanley really preferred the cheap stuff._

“Hey, Pine Tree, do you want some?” Bill asked in surprisingly friendly tone, but Dipper merely shook his head ever so slightly, declining the demon's offer, even though he probably could have used a drink. Maybe it would have warmed him up and dulled the emotional and possibly physical pain, or maybe made it all worse. The last thing he wanted was to break down in front of Bill completely drunk; who knows what the demon could do with him.

_God knows what he'd do to me. I want to have my wits to myself..._

“Suit yourself,” the demon chuckled and sat down on a dusty recliner, crossing one long leg over the other before sipping the drink slowly. He stared into Dipper's eyes, smiling quite maliciously, relishing in the power he had over his little prisoner who had nowhere to run nor a safe haven left. He wanted to take his time tormenting the kid.

The uncertainty of the situation was nightmarish to Dipper and a part of him wished that Bill would stop toying with him and just get to what ever torture he had planned in order to break him.

Water kept dripping off Dipper's clothes and started to form small pools onto the floor.

 _I will get sick for sure,_ Dipper thought as he shivered and trembled, yearning for any source warmth. Bill on the other hand didn't seem to care. Maybe his remaining demonic power kept him from feeling the freezing?

“There isn't a single person in Gravity Falls who remembers me?” Dipper asked quietly, unable to endure the silence any longer. Even though he knew the answer already, on some level he just wanted Bill's confirmation so that he had no reason to keep the hope alive, it was just too painful and emotionally draining.

_I don't want to nurture this painful hope any longer...it will kill me._

“Nope,” Bill replied dryly as he poured some more whiskey to himself, as if the whole situation meant nothing to him. “I've erased everyone's memories of you and destroyed all evidence of your miserable family ever existing here. It took time and lot of effort, but I did it...I manged to erase you from this abysmally boring town,” Bill explained to Dipper whose head was spinning from all the information he had to take in. Cipher leered at Dipper, “I made sure that you are all alone in this world....you have no one left to save you.”

“None of my friends...have any recollection of me or Mabel?” Dipper thought out loud, feeling faint and ill. He had made his first real friends in Gravity Falls and he had lost them all thanks to Bill.

“Friends? Now, they aren't really your friends, are they Pine Tree? How could they be friends with you if they don't even know who you are? Idiot...” the demon asked maliciously and sipped the drink again, clearly enjoying the warm feeling it left in its wake. His eyes flashed dangerously in the darkness and his grin was wide enough to show a row of perfect white teeth. “I'm the only one who remembers you, your only friend in this world...if you let me.”

Cipher knew the exact words to say in order to turn the knife in Dipper's wounds. He was driving the tip of the blade deeper and deeper with each action, adding to the boy's pain until it would be too much for him to bear. Pine Tree would soon be willing to give his soul to him in order to make the pain stop.

 _All those wonderful memories with Wendy and the rest, all gone from their minds. They don't remember any of them,_ Dipper realized and hugged himself, trying to both comfort and keep himself warm with little success. He had never felt so alone or isolated in his life.

”No one knows you, no one remembers you or cares about you, Pine Tree. To them you are just a weirdo kid with broken mind due to stress and your deadbeat…heh...parents,” Bill couldn't help but laugh and eye his prisoner all dreamily. “My poor little Pine Tree, there is no safe haven left for you, nor a place to hide where I can't find you...you must feel so afraid....”

Dipper grit his teeth, trying to endure Bill's deriding comments that left him on the verge of tears again. He had already mourned his parents and now he had to mourn the loss of all the dear memories that held no meaning anymore.

Bill's smile widened to the point his slightly sharper looking corner teeth showed when he saw how miserable he had made Dipper feel. Pine Tree's pain was like drug to the cruel demon and compelled him to continue. He wanted to crush the boy's spirit underneath his foot, then pick up the pieces and see what he could make of them, something beautiful and fun for sure.

“Painful isn't it? To know that all those sweet, lovely and warm memories you have are now null and void. If there is no one remember or share them with you, they are completely meaningless, things that only exist inside your stupid little head. They are nothing more than fantasies and delusions now,” Bill mocked Dipper who was on a verge of breaking down once more.

The expression on the demon's face was borderline sadistic and Dipper's anxiety started to feel like as if the young blond had put a rope around his neck and was slowly tightening it until he couldn't breathe anymore.

 _Bill is right, Wendy nor Soos have any idea of who I am...I'm nothing to them, that summer is meaningless and all the bonds I've created are destroyed!_ Dipper thought as he trembled and endured the demon's manic laughter. _And the worst thing is, this is all my fault for not telling Ford. I allowed this to happen._

Cipher's mental abuse had really started to pay off since Dipper was already blaming himself for everything that had happened, even if there was still a single ray of hope that gave him strength, something that he had to remember to hold onto tightly and close to his heart, so that he wouldn't forget that not everything was lost.

Even though his parents were dead and none of his friends remembered him, there was one person who prevented him from falling fully into Bill's hold and horrbiel world.

She protected him from the nightmare demon who tried to drag him down to the endless abyss of despair and nightmares,a place Dipper wouldn't be able to pull himself free from on his own.

_Mabel._

“Now, how should I punish you, Sapling?” Bill wondered out loud with a mocking sneer on his face, looking overconfident and smug. He was high on the sense of control and he could already see Dipper seeking comfort from him, looking ashamed and desperate. The boy was his to play with and Pine Tree wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

“I leave you alone for few hours to recover and you immediately break the window and try to escape? Now, that doesn't make me want to put much faith in you, does it?” Bill said and leaned his head against his graceful hand, the look in his golden eyes predatory and thrilled. "I can't do anything too bad to you just yet, after all humans are so fragile. A night in that cold room, exposed to the elements sounds like a good start but," Cipher pondered and paused for few seconds before continuing, “I don't think that is quite enough for you. I know how stupid and bullheaded you are. You'd just try it again and cause a ruckus in the town, no...I need to make sure you won't go anywhere~” Bill finished, his eyes shining with excitement and thrill.

The demon's soft chuckle echoed slightly in the large attic room.

Dipper trembled from cold and anxiety, yet he clenched his hands into fists as the small flame of determination started to burn inside him. The demon had definitely expected him to escape and find out what had happened to the town first hand.

 _Why hasn't Bill hurt anyone in the town? Maybe because he can't? Even with a memory gun, he probably can't just erase someone's death so easily,_ Dipper reasoned.

The demon had endured everyone's presence for over 2 years and there had to be some reason for it.. Bill was a human and thus vulnerable, even if he was otherworldly strong. _He might have killed my parents but...I refuse to let him do the same to anyone else. There is a whole town of people out there and even if they don't remember me or Bill, they'd definitely fight to protect the people they love._

If he only had known what had happened to all the magical creatures in the woods....Dipper's thoughts might have been very, _**very**_ different.

“There are just too many wonderful possibilities here that I can't pick anything,” Bill cackled out loud as he sat there on the recliner as if it was a throne made from gold and jewels. He was determine to take everything out of this little moment with his pet who had lost all his willpower after his little adventure in the town, just like the demon had planned.

“Maybe I should just lock you up inside that deep and dark basement until you have learned your lesson, Pine Tree. That could be fun. I want to see you crawl befor me, ready to do anything to get out and see the sun again,” the demon purred with half-lidded eyes, finding the idea of Dipper looking up at him with pleading eyes extremely appealing. “But I'd feel so bad about leaving you all alone for so long, so perhaps I should just put a collar around your neck and tie your leash to this very chair I'm sitting on, so that I could keep you company when I go through my research notes,” Cipher cackled and nodded towards a table. 

_And a dog bowl to serve me soggy cereal from,_ Dipper thought bitterly, but didn't mutter it out loud in fear of Bill actually finding it to be a good idea. No doubt the rain water had seeped through the carton box and made the cereal disgusting already.

 _Mabel, I know you must hate me for what happened to mom and dad, but you are my only hope and light. I'm really sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you,_ Dipper thought sadly, wondering what Mabel would think of him when she'd learn the truth.

_The knowledge that you are ok is enough to help me survive and endure anything. I...I really hope you can forgive me some day...and that we might meet again. I'm sorry that I got our parents killed, I won't let Bill hurt anyone else. Even if they do not remember you or me, Wendy and Soos are still our friends_

“Do whatever you want, Bill,” Dipper finally whispered and lifted his gaze to look directly into his captor's otherworldly eyes. His expression was blank, yet surprisingly determined.

The nightmare demon's eyes widened slightly and he frowned a bit when he heard Dipper's defiant tone.

“Hmmm? What was that?” the tall and thin young man asked quietly, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously. He was clearly surprised by his plaything's sudden defiant reply.

“Mabel,” Dipper explained and he could see the frown of Bill's handsome face deepen. The demon tilted his head to the side as he observed the boy who was still trembling from cold, but the fear seemed to have been pushed aside by anger that had bottled up inside him.

The look in Cipher's eyes became darker and meaner as the playfulness was slowly being drained away and replaced by cold, controlled anger. He clearly hated how his fun had been cut short and had started to harbor dark thoughts towards Dipper and his family.....especially Mabel.

Dipper swallowed and it felt like the demon was staring straight into his soul. Cipher sneered at him, baring his teeth as if he wanted to sink them into his essence and shred it into pieces.

The small flame that had been sparked inside Dipper's soul grew a bit stronger when he saw just how vexed Bill had become.

The mere mention of his sister's name had made the demon frustrated and annoyed, wiping that smug and overconfident smile off his handsome face. Mabel really was a child of light, protecting him from Bill's horrible and nightmarish world that threatened to swallow him whole.

The demon continued prowling around the boy's mind, trying to find some weakness in his defenses and push him back int other despair and fear.

“It is such a shame she wasn't home when I killed your parents, if she had, Shooting Star would lie on the floor with your parents,” Bill whispered maliciously, sneering slightly at Dipper who couldn't help but imagine her sister's mutilated body even though he tried to banish the image.

“But you didn't get her Cipher, and after my message to Ford and Stanley, you never will. There is no way in the world gruncle Stanley will let her come here or you to find her,” Dipper stated surprisingly calmly, knowing it to be true. His great uncles would do everything in their power to protect Mabel. “My Sister is safe from you Bill...I will never be alone. She still shares my summer memories, so they are not meaningless. Even if she isn't here, Mabel remembers everything,” Dipper snapped at Bill, his eyes burning with determination once more.

Bill was gritting his teeth and glaring daggers at Dipper, his golden eyes filled with hatred, anger and murderous intent.

“Not for long Pine Tree. She will live the rest of her life knowing that the summer no one recalls was the reason for all her pain and misery. Don't forget Pine Tree that this is all your fault for leaving me in that forest,” the demon growled and the corner of his lips curled upward into a hideous smile. “Your parent's deaths, me taking you, the town forgetting all about your family, they are all result of your decision,” the demon hissed. “You will be all alone and I will be the only one who will even care about your existence.”

Dipper closed his eyes and resisted the tears that tried to force their way into his eyes. All of this was his fault, Bill was right about that, but since it was his fault, he also had the responsibility fix things to the best of his ability, no matter what it would take.

_Mabel remembers me and she will live safely with Ford and Stanley. They will remain and care about me, even if we will never meet again._

 

“So what?! Even if we are worlds apart, dimensions even, Mabel, Stanley and Stanford will remain. I am not alone! Chain me up, throw me into that room, do the worst you can Bill!” Dipper yelled in moment of anger, the pent up emotions overwhelming him. He was challenging the demon. “Even if no one remembers me they are still my friends and I will not allow you to hurt anyone. I swear Bill, if you hurt Wendy, Soos or anyone in the town, you can be sure I will do everything in my power to escape and make you pay for your crimes. I won't let you drag me to your insane world, I wont'!”

As long as Mabel lived and was ok, he could endure anything. Just because no one remembered him didn't mean he had to stop fighting. Bill was a human...and if people got hurt it would raise questions. He wasn't invincible. He bled and could die like any human. Besides, he didn't know what had happened to the forest folk. There was no way Bill could have erased all of their memories.

The tall and slim blond man stayed silent for a moment and just eyed his prisoner from head to toes a couple of times with rather unimpressed and blank look on his face much to Dipper's surprise.

The demon finished his drink with one gulp and made Dipper flinch by slamming the glass down onto the table, bottoms up. Miraculously the thin glass didn't shatter into countless pieces.

Cipher then got up from the dusty recliner and started approaching the young boy in a slow and relaxed manner, making Dipper take few steps backwards.

Even though the blond man wore sneakers, his steps sounded sharp and foreboding in the darkness and the damp wooden floorboards creaked softly underneath his weight. Dipper could feel fear take a grip of his heart again, yet he refused to let it control him.

“Is that so?” the demon inquired with a surprisingly pleasant smile on his face, yet the teen knew it to be fake, hiding the true expression. Suddenly he didn't want to know what lied underneath that friendly smile.

Bill kept approaching Dipper who in return kept backing away slowly to keep his distance.

 

“Y-y-yeah,” Dipper whispered, his voice trembling a bit from fear as he looked up at Bill who just kept smiling at him in rather creepy manner.

In the darkness of the room, Bill really did feel like a real demon. He was nearly 2 head taller than Dipper and his gleaming, slightly narrowed golden eyes didn't promise anything good. The boy's slow escape came to a halt when he reached the end of the stairs and soon the demon was towering over him. Dipper could feel his heart skip a beat when Cipher lifted his hands and took hold of his face surprisingly gently, forcing the boy to look up into his eyes once more.

“You are just so amusing, Pine tree, you have no idea. You are crying and trembling from fear one moment, the next you are all defiant, spitting fire and ready to fight. I do wonder what goes inside that foolish little head of yours....maybe I will dig through it when I get my powers back,” the nightmare demon murmured affectionately, yet the tone couldn't hide the maliciousness completely. “I will leave no place of your mind untouched, and it will not be pleasant to you, kid. I will learn all your fears, hopes and worries....and we will become very close as result. Doesn't that sound like fun?”

Dipper gulped when one of Bill's hands traveled down to his throat to press his fingers against it in uncomfortable manner, almost blocking his airway.

“You are just so adorable when you try to be brave,” Bill purred maliciously, his golden eyes dreamy and shining in the darkness. “But I can read you like an open book, sapling. You are afraid, scared, lonely and utterly miserable; fearing and worrying for everyone's safety. We both know you can't protect yourself nor any of the hapless villagers if I want to hurt them. The only thing you can do is watch and live with the knowledge that this is all your fault..”

Dipper whimpered a bit when Bill tightened his hold on his neck, brushing a straw of wet brown hair off his face with his free hand. The teen's heart was hammering against his chest now and some of his defiance had faded away, yet he refused to let Bill win. Cipher's smile made the boy feel really uncomfortable because he looked extremely excited and thrilled.

“Your family won't stay safe, that is for certain. I know for that Sixer can't stand the thought of me having you and will eventually come to your rescue, and when he does, I will make sure he suffers extra for your little outburst here,” Bill promised darkly and smiled at Dipper with a dreamy look in his golden eyes. “It is only the matter of time, Pine Tree. I can't wait to see you groveling before me, begging and pleading me not to hurt your dear great uncle, even if it is all futile,” the demon whispered and tilted his head slightly to the side as he inspected all the small changes in Dipper's expression.

“Now, lets make sure we both understand each other perfectly. You will do everything in your power to stop me or escape me? To run away from me, right??””

After a moment of silence, Dipper hissed through his teeth, “Yes”, and glared daggers at Bill whose smile only widened, the look in his golden eyes truly insane. He leaned downwards, lips almost touching his captive's.

“Good, then I won't feel bad about doing this to you.,” Cipher whispered and the pleasant and friendly smile on his face turned into a vicious, blood thirsty and demonic grin that made his eyes narrow and sharp teeth show.

Before Dipper had time to react, the tall demon released his hold on his face and neck, only to shove him backwards with tremendous force. The last thing Dipper could remember with clarity was the sight of the dark ceiling greeting him as he fell backwards into the darkness that swallowed him whole.

 

Bill had pushed him down the attic stairs.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have divided this into two chapters to update faster but I was like, “No! I planned this to be one chapter and I will keep it one chapter even if it kills me!”  
> I rewrote the shopping scene too many times to count to get rid of some really bad repetitive scenes, yet I know there still is way too repetitiveness for my liking. Hopefully the next chapter will be better.  
> Sorry for taking so long, right now I don't even trust the Finnish I write, so English is even more intimidating. And it shows, I really don't think my writing is up to the par.
> 
> Also, I really couldn't get into Bill's character when they were back inside the Mystery Shack... I really should just write shorter chapters T.T

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Too dark?


End file.
